Macon, Ga. (Aug. 1, 2023) – Piedmont Macon North Hospital is one of just nine Georgia hospitals to receive an overall five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for excellence in quality.

The five-star designation was awarded to 483 hospitals across the country, a little more than 10 percent of all U.S. hospitals. CMS assigns its star ratings annually to hospitals nationwide. Hospital scores can be found by ZIP code here.

“We are extremely pleased that Piedmont Macon North has received this designation because it highlights the extraordinary care, compassion and safety measures that we have in place to provide our patients the best possible wellness outcomes,” said Stephen J. Daugherty, CEO of Piedmont Macon. “The score looks at a patient’s stay in our hospital as a complete package – from how doctors and nurses interact with patients, how we rank in terms of medical outcomes and whether we are meeting numerous safety protocols.”

A multiple-step methodology was used to rank hospitals based on specific metrics within five broad categories:

• Mortality, which looks at death rates for various illnesses and conditions.
• Safety of Care, a measure of several care-related issues such as infections and complications after surgery.
• Readmission, which examines the rate of hospital readmission after specific surgical procedures or illnesses.
• Patient Experience, a metric that includes communication from doctors and nurses, room cleanliness, clear discharge instructions and hospital recommendations from patients.
• Timely and Effective Care, which includes several metrics such as the percentage of healthcare workers who took the flu and COVID-19 vaccines, patients who left the emergency department before being seen, and patients who arrives with stroke symptoms who received timely brain scan results.

According to Medicare.gov, the star ratings can give the public information and help them compare hospitals locally and nationwide, but it says people “should consider a variety of factors when choosing a hospital, like physician guidance about your care plan.”

The website suggests additionally looking at other aspects of hospital quality such as rates of infection and complications, and patients’ experience based on survey results.

Earlier this year, both Piedmont Macon North Hospital and Piedmont Macon Medical Center received an “A” Leapfrog score for their quality and safety protocols from the independent healthcare watchdog group. Piedmont Macon Medical Center received its 10^th consecutive “A” grade, while Piedmont Macon North received its sixth consecutive “A.”