EJGH Earns Four Star Rating From CMS

East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH) earned four stars on Wednesday afternoon when the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its much-anticipated Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings.

EJGH outshined all other hospitals in the area with its four stars and the measure places the institution among the top 20 percent of 4,599 rated hospitals in the country, according to data released by CMS.

“This is an important indicator for us because it shows that what we are doing, we’re doing right,” said EJGH President and CEO Dr. Mark Peters. “These rankings were put together using statistics that are making it easy for people to look at, and understand hospital ratings. I’m thrilled, yet not surprised, that we received such a high rating. I hope that people will use this information to make informed decisions and that EJGH is the right place for them.”

The CMS ratings are a composite metric of one to five stars, conveying the overall quality of over 4,000 hospitals in the United States. CMS uses 64 different measures to assess the quality of hospitals, all of which are posted on the Hospital Compare site.

“With this bold move, CMS came down on the side of patients and their families, helping make health care data more meaningful and actionable,” said Leah Binder, CEO of the Leapfrog Group, the nation’s leading nonprofit advocate of healthcare transparency.

“Health care data should never again be locked away in an ivory tower accessible only by providers or policymakers. Which hospital you choose can mean the difference between a quick recovery or a dangerous hospital-acquired infection; between feeling respected and cared for, or ignored and distrusted. By putting meaningful metrics into the hands of consumers, we allow them to make informed decisions, and every American deserves that opportunity.”

EJGH is one of just two hospitals in New Orleans is with four stars while four earned three stars and three hospitals earned two stars. The national average came in at 3.09 stars.

The full list of hospitals and rankings can be found on medicare.gov.