HYMC earns 5-Star rating for 3rd consecutive year

For the third consecutive year, Howard Young Medical Center (HYMC), part of Aspirus, has received a five-star rating — the highest possible accolade — from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as part of its 2024 5-Star Quality Rating System. HYMC was previously recognized with 5-Star ratings in both 2022 and 2023.

A CMS 5-Star rating places Howard Young among the top 10 percent of all eligible hospitals in the United States, highlighting its commitment to exceptional patient care. The national average rating is three stars.

CMS provides these star ratings to help patients make informed healthcare decisions and to encourage hospitals to continuously improve the quality of care they offer.

“We are privileged to support the healthcare needs of our communities,” said Teri Theiler, Aspirus North Division president. “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our providers, clinical teams, and staff for their unwavering commitment to our patients and to one another. Their dedication has made this five-star rating possible and will continue to drive our quality improvement initiatives in the future.”

The overall star rating for hospitals summarizes quality information on critical topics, including readmissions and mortality rates following heart attacks or pneumonia. This rating, which ranges from 1 to 5 stars, consolidates various measures across five key areas of quality:

• Mortality (22 percent).

• Safety of Care (22 percent).

• Readmission (22 percent).

• Patient Experience (22 percent).

• Timely and Effective Care (12 percent).

HYMC excelled in patient experience measures including patients who reported their nurses and doctors communicated well, received help as soon as they wanted, staff explained about medicines before giving it to them, their room and bathroom were clean, the area around their room was quiet at night, they were given information about what to do during their recovery at home, understood their care when they left the hospital, and patients who would recommend the hospital to their friends and family.

This overall rating reflects how well each hospital performed on an identified set of quality measures compared to other hospitals in the U.S. The more stars a hospital receives, the better it has performed on these quality measures. CMS assigns star ratings annually based on 46 hospital quality measures.

HYMC is among only 18 five-star hospitals in Wisconsin and 381 nationwide. In addition to its 5-Star rating, HYMC has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Acute Stroke Ready Certification. The Woodruff hospital was also recognized with the Healthgrades 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ and the Outstanding Patient Experience Award™.

For more information about Howard Young Medical Center or Aspirus Woodruff Clinic, please visit aspirus.org.