The Sarasota Memorial Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Sarasota Memorial Home Care team each received 5-Star government ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).  The public quality ratings – updated periodically on CMS’ website (Medicare.gov) – continue a record of high-quality care designations that cross Sarasota Memorial’s range of hospital and post-acute services. SMH’s flagship 839-bed hospital holds the coveted honor as the only hospital in Florida to achieve the federal government’s highest 5-Star rating since CMS launched the Hospital Compare program in 2016. In its Fall 2019 update, CMS reviewed about 16,000 nursing homes across the nation, with tougher standards to evaluate medical care, including facilities’ use of anti-psychotic drugs, which can pose serious risks for older adults and those with dementia. Its methodology also measures staffing ratios, successful discharges to the community, improvements in function, emergency visits and re-hospitalizations, in addition to state-conducted, annual health inspections and how much time nurses spend with residents. This year, CMS also added an alert icon to its Nursing Home Compare website to warn consumers about homes that have been flagged for violations including abuse and neglect.

For more information about CMS star ratings, visit cms.gov and search under “Hospital Compare,” “Nursing Home Compare” or “Home Health Compare.” An online tool allows visitors to search by region or facility name.