The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services this year awarded five-star ratings to only 52 hospitals in the country. But Sarasota serves as home to one of them. Sarasota Memorial Hospital for the fifth consecutive rating period in a row won the top rating. The Sarasota hospital was the only one in Florida to earn a 5-star rating from CMS.

Sarasota Memorial CEO David Verinder credited his staff with the honor. “From our unpaid Hospital Board to our front-line staff, physicians, volunteers and leaders, there’s a strong sense of community and responsibility that drives everything we do,” Verinder says. “This award is a reflection of the entire team’s dedication to providing the highest quality care to the community and people we serve.”

The rating puts SMH in the top 8 percent of hospitals nationwide. Kim Savage, SMH spokeswoman, says the hospital has a running goal to stay in the top 10 percent. The rating looks at a host of indicators, reported on a monthly, weekly and in some cases daily basis. The CMS rating in particular looks at mortality, readmission and infection rates, among other benchmarks.

Doctor’s Hospital of Sarasota also ranked high, getting a four-star rating. Executives there stressed the measure was one of many used to assess hospital quality throughout the nation.

“The CMS star rating system is one of many quality measurements we use in our continual effort to maintain and improve the quality of medical care we provide,” says Robert Meade, CEO, Doctors Hospital of Sarasota. “We are proud to have earned the Leapfrog A Rating for safety nine times in row. Our hardworking staff and physicians are committed to delivering exceptional and personalized care to our community.”

Similarly, SMH notes it was recently named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals by IBM Watson Health.

CMS issues 3-star ratings to Lakewood Ranch Medical Center and Englewood Community Hospital, a 2-star rating to Blake Medical Center and a 1-star rating to Manatee Memorial Hospital and Venice Regional Bayfront Health.