Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awards Chickasaw Nation Medical Center five-star rating
This article appeared in the September 2022 edition of the Chickasaw Times
The Chickasaw Nation Medical Center received a five-star rating from a health care industry publication, establishing it as part of an elite group of national hospitals.
The monthly publication, Becker’s Hospital Review, published the elite review in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings (Overall Star Rating) for 2022. Twice in the last three years, the Medical Center has received the top five-star rating.
“We are dedicated to providing quality health care and were pleased our Chickasaw Nation Medical Center received a five-star rating for 2022 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, putting us in the top 15.9% of the country’s 3,093 hospitals,” Lieutenant Governor Chris Anoatubby said.
According to the CMS.gov website, the Overall Star Rating summarizes a variety of measurements across five areas of quality into a single star rating for each hospital. Once reporting thresholds are met, a hospital’s Overall Star Rating is calculated using only those measures for which data are available.
Five key metrics are used when evaluating hospitals for the CMS Overall Star Rating. They include mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timely and effective care. Each category has a measured weight of 22%, with the exception of timely and effective care, which measures at 12%.
“This national recognition is evidence of our Chickasaw Nation Department of Health staff’s strong commitment to quality, compassionate and culturally appropriate health care,” Deputy Secretary of Health at the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health Rear Adm. (ret.) Kevin Meeks said. “At the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health, our patients come first in everything we do.”
CMS is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The federal agency runs Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance programs, and the federally-facilitated Marketplace. CMS also provides data to health care systems for better care, giving it access to coverage, improving patients’ health.
About the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center
Serving all First Americans, the 72-bed Chickasaw Nation Medical Center features a level three emergency department, numerous specialized clinics, ambulatory care facility, diagnostic imaging center, women’s health center, as well as many tribal health programs.
“The Chickasaw Nation Department of Health is committed to assuring patients receive high quality, safe care that is kind, compassionate and patient centered,” Chickasaw Nation Under Secretary of Medical Staff/Quality Dr. John Krueger said. “This recognition by CMS validates the work of our amazing staff and the execution of Governor and Lt. Governor Anoatubby’s vision to develop world class, high quality health care.”
The Chickasaw Nation investment of more than $150 million in building the Medical Center has enhanced health care access and added hundreds of additional jobs in Ada, Okla. These professional positions include physicians, nurses and support staff. Funding for long-term staffing was made possible through a joint venture between the Chickasaw Nation and the U.S. Indian Health Service.
Located on 230 acres just south of Ada, the Medical Center incorporates the beauty of the site and the local ecology into its design. Architectural design and construction materials reflect Chickasaw culture and a close connection to the natural environment. Long and thin in design, the building runs parallel to a broad meadow with gorgeous views of a hill and creek bed.
According to architects Page Southerland Page, Inc., the conceptual heart of the Medical Center is the “Town Center.” This three-story, sky-lit open area adjoining the café serves as a social, educational and event space between the hospital and clinics.
From the “Town Center,” public spaces open directly onto the meadow with trails and paths that lead throughout the larger site. Attention to the healing process focuses not only on patients, but families and those visiting patients as well.