Hospital earns 5-star rating for third year

Kalispell Regional Medical Center has once again earned a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, making the hospital one of three in Montana to receive the coveted classification.

According to a press release from the hospital, the organization recently assigned ratings to more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide based on their performance across seven areas of quality.

Of those ranked, only 407 hospitals nationwide received five-star ratings. In Montana, St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula and St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings also received five stars.

This marks the third straight year that Kalispell Regional has received the highest rating, which is determined by measures of many aspects of quality care, including mortality, readmission, safety, patient experience, efficiency, timeliness and effectiveness of care.

“We are thrilled to be recognized once again as a top performing hospital for our quality of care,” Dr. Douglas Nelson, chief medical officer at KRMC, said in a prepared statement. “We as an organization have always been committed to improving the health, comfort, and life of our patients and our quality of care mirrors that each and every day. I want to commend the wonderful staff here at KRMC for the outstanding work they do. Our commitment to our patients is what makes KRMC the outstanding facility it is.”

The organization’s rating system was created through collaborative efforts with organizations representing consumers, hospitals, doctors, employers, accrediting organizations and other federal agencies.