Local Hospitals Receive 1-2 Stars In Latest CMS Ranking [Updated]

Update [10/28/15]: A previous version of this article misstated the Summary Star Ratings of Coney Island Hospital and Maimonides Medical Center, based on information from Healthcare Finance News. Since its posting, the ratings on that site have been adjusted — and we have adjusted our article to reflect the correct ratings.

On a scale of one to five stars, Brooklyn’s 13 hospitals all came in at one or two stars, according to the latest Hospital Compare results for 2014 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Of those that serve Sheepshead Bay and its surrounding neighborhoods, Coney Island Hospital received a one-star ranking, while Lutheran Medical Center and Maimonides Medical Center each earned two stars.

The data came from patient surveys issued — via the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems — throughout 2014 asking them, post-treatment, to rate the quality of their experience. However, with hundreds or even thousands of surveys handed out, response rates averaged in the teens for all hospitals. So, for Coney Island Hospital, out of 1,181 surveys, only 13 percent were completed.

As Healthcare Finance News noted, “poor scores can result lower reimbursement rates from Medicare under the government’s value-based purchasing program.”

Other one-starred hospitals included Brooklyn Hospital, Interfaith Medical Center, Kings County Hospital, Wyckoff Medical Center, Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, and Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center.

Other medical facilities that received two stars were New York Methodist Hospital, Downstate University Hospital, and New York Community Hospital.

Overall, hospital star ratings have see-sawed since CMS data began being released earlier this year in April and July, although the most recent data is “in line with a national downward trend.”

Brooklyn Hospital Center did not respond to requests for comment as of press time.

How would you describe your quality of care received at local hospitals?