Awards, Gerber Memorial Hospital

Gerber Hospital receives top quality ranking from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

July 27, 2023

Fremont, Mich., July 27, 2023 – Spectrum Health Gerber Hospital, part of Corewell Health, has received a five-star rating for the second year in a row from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for strong performance in key quality measures including mortality and readmission rates.

“Being in the top 15% of hospitals nationwide and receiving this designation again reflects our strong, continued commitment to providing exceptional care to our patients,” said Drew Dostal, president of Gerber Hospital. “I am incredibly proud of our team members who helped make this recognition possible.”

More than 4,650 hospitals across the country for 2023 were rated by CMS using a seven-step process, which ultimately aims to arm patients with information about how hospitals are performing when seeking care. Gerber Hospital was one of only 483 hospitals to receive a five-star rating.

CMS uses more than 45 measures that are based on five categories including mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience as well as timely and effective care. Gerber Hospital improved performance in all five categories but particularly in lowering mortality rates and decreasing patient readmissions.

“Much of the improvement, specifically around how many times a patient is readmitted, stems from the dedicated work of our teams across departments who looked at ways to improve how we discharge patients and the planning around it,” said James Bonner, Corewell Health’s vice president of quality, safety and experience. “This includes ensuring follow-up appointments are established well in advance, helping patients access the medications they need after leaving the hospital, and completing a smooth handoff between hospital team members to care teams in the community.”

Bonner added that implementing more detailed documentation measures also was key, especially for patients with complex needs, which led to even better care and outcomes.

“The patient is at the center of all that we do, and we always want to make sure the patient and family are fully engaged with their health care providers and are knowledgeable about what they need do for their ongoing needs,” Bonner said.

Additional Corewell Health hospitals receiving a five-star rating include Blodgett and Butterworth Hospitals in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Zeeland Community Hospital in Zeeland, Michigan, which received five stars for the fifth time.

About Corewell Health™

People are at the heart of everything we do, and the inspiration for our legacy of outstanding outcomes, innovation, strong community partnerships, philanthropy and transparency. Corewell Health is a not-for-profit health system that provides health care and coverage with an exceptional team of 60,000+ dedicated people—including more than 11,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and more than 15,000 nurses providing care and services in 22 hospitals, 300+ outpatient locations and several post-acute facilities—and Priority Health, a provider-sponsored health plan serving more than 1.2 million members. Through experience and collaboration, we are reimagining a better, more equitable model of health and wellness. For more information, visit corewellhealth.org.

Contact:
Michelle Rasmussen
Senior Communications Specialist
Phone: 231.349.9964
Email: michelle.rasmussen@corewellhealth.org