LAKEPORT, Calif. – For the fourth time, the Centers for Medicare Service & Medicaid Services, or CMS, has awarded Sutter Lakeside Hospital a four-star rating.

“We’re truly honored at Sutter Lakeside to receive a four-star rating from CMS again. We first earned a four-star rating in 2018, and this accolade continues to reflect the pride our nurses, staff and physicians take in their work to care for and support our patients. As the only Critical Access Hospital in the Sutter network, we’re grateful to provide a high level of care to residents in our local communities,” said Pauline Orr, Sutter Lakeside chief nursing executive.

Critical Access refers to a CMS designation given to rural hospitals such as Sutter Lakeside to ensure access to healthcare in remote communities.

A Critical Access Hospital is licensed for 25 beds and must network with a hospital capable of taking high acuity patients.

Since 2016, CMS has assigned star ratings to hospitals. The rating system helps people make choices about where to receive non-emergency hospital-based care, like scheduled surgeries and procedures.

Hospitals that perform better on standard measures of quality, including readmission rates, safety and patient experience receive more stars. On average, hospitals across the nation receive three stars, but high performers can earn four or five.

The ratings reflect multiple aspects of quality. The Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating summarizes about 50 measures of healthcare quality for a given hospital in comparison with other facilities throughout the country, but some of those measures have greater emphasis.

Four heavily weighted categories ― patient experience, safety, readmissions and mortality ― account for more than 80% of a hospital’s overall star rating.

“Providing quality care and a great patient experience is our highest priority, and it’s also what makes our work in healthcare rewarding,” said Orr.