Hospital ranks fourth in area in Medicare ratings

Jan. 28--WARRENSBURG -- Western Missouri Medical Center ranked fourth among 31 hospitals in a 100-mile radius in points earned in Medicare's Value-Based Purchasing program from August-November.

Chief nursing officer Darinda Reberry reported the finding to the hospital board.

Reberry told the board the hospital ranked "only two points behind" University of Kansas Medical Center in the program that rewards acute-care hospitals with incentive payments for the quality of care provided to Medicare patients.

The program, established by the Affordable Care Act, rates quality of care, how closely best clinical practices are followed and how well hospitals enhance patients' experiences of care during hospital stays.

"We set very high goals for ourselves," Reberry told the board. "In the grand scheme of things, we're doing very well, and I'm proud of where we are at. ... (The hospital) is earning back in all domains except pain management and (overall) hospital rating."

The hospital is in the top one-third of "a couple hundred hospitals" in a data base in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Suppliers domain in responsiveness of staff and hospital environment, and in the top 5 percent in the noise in and around patient rooms, she said.

Western Missouri Medical Center ranked in the 90th percentile for courtesy of cleaning staff; the 95th percentile for pleasantness of the room; and 94th percentile for room cleanliness.

The hospital is around the 58th percentile in the "likelihood of recommending" category, Reberry said.

"It has a lot to do with perception and marketing," she said.

The hospital ranks in the top 15 percent for discharge process, she said.

In the nurse communications ranking, the hospital ranked in the top 20 percent; communication about medications, 71st percentile; communication with doctors, top 20 percent; nutritional services, top half; courtesy of server, top 30 percent.

Reberry said the Emergency Department's combined 4 and 5 scores, indicating high levels of satisfaction, and scores are "more consistent" in 2014, averaging in the 81st percentile.

Scores for the time awaiting treatment after arrival in the Emergency Department "were consistently low" in 2013, she said, and ensuring decreased wait time became "a top priority for 2015."

She said the Emergency Department treated 572 more patients in 2014 than in 2013.

"We're moving them through the system quickly so they're not leaving," Reberry said.

Board member Steve Higgins said, "We're very proud of the entire staff."

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