RANDOLPH, VT — Gifford Health Care has received two of the highest recognitions awarded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), earning both a 5-star Overall Hospital Quality Rating and a 5-star Patient Survey Rating through Medicare.gov’s Care Compare program. Five stars is the highest rating possible in both categories.
The CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating summarizes performance across multiple areas of care quality, including safety, mortality, readmissions, patient experience, and timely and effective care. The Patient Survey Rating reflects feedback directly from patients about their hospital experience, including communication with providers, responsiveness of staff, discharge planning, and overall satisfaction with care.
The ratings are designed to help patients and families compare hospitals nationwide and make informed decisions about where to receive care.
“This recognition reflects the extraordinary dedication, compassion, and professionalism of our entire team,” said Michael Costa, President and CEO of Gifford Health Care. “As a rural community hospital, we are deeply committed to providing high-quality, personal care close to home. To receive national recognition not only for clinical quality, but also for the experience our patients have while receiving care, is something we are incredibly proud of.”
CMS updates the star ratings quarterly using nationally standardized measures reported by hospitals across the country. According to recent CMS data, only a limited number of hospitals nationwide receive the highest 5-star overall rating.
For Gifford, the distinction reflects ongoing work across the organization to strengthen patient safety, improve access to care, enhance communication, and support positive patient outcomes and experiences.
“These ratings belong to every member of our organization,” said Sara Simeone, VP, Nursing, Quality & Patient Safety. “From providers and nurses to environmental services, registration, rehabilitation, nutrition services, and administrative support staff, this recognition represents a shared commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care.”
The 5-star Patient Survey Rating is especially meaningful because it reflects the voices of patients themselves. The survey measures how patients felt about their care experience, including whether they felt listened to, respected, informed, and supported during their hospital stay.
“At Gifford, we believe health care is personal,” Costa said. “These ratings reinforce that patients can receive exceptional care right here in the communities we serve.”
Gifford Health Care serves patients throughout central Vermont with primary care, specialty care, women’s health, pediatrics, emergency services, inpatient care, surgical services, rehabilitation, senior living, and community-based programs. As a Federally Qualified Health Center and nationally recognized Critical Access Hospital, Gifford remains focused on ensuring access to high-quality care close to home.
To learn more or view Gifford’s CMS ratings, visit Medicare Care Compare: https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/details/hospital/471301?state=VT or Gifford Health Care: https://giffordhealthcare.org/
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Gifford is a community hospital in Randolph, VT., with family health centers in Berlin, Bethel, Chelsea, Randolph, and Rochester; and specialty services throughout central Vermont. A Federally Qualified Health Center and a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the country, Gifford is a full-service hospital with a 24-hour emergency department and inpatient unit; many surgical services; daycare; an adult day program; and a 30-bed nursing home. The Birthing Center, established in 1977, was the first in Vermont to offer an alternative to traditional hospital-based deliveries and continues to be a leader in midwifery and family-centered care. As a community health center and medical home, Gifford’s mission is to improve and manage the health of the people we serve by providing and assuring access to affordable, high-quality health care, and by promoting the health and well-being of everyone in our service area.
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