Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Mercy Hospital NWA Earns Highest Quality Rating
Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas is one of only two hospitals in the state that earned a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Mercy’s hospital in Rogers ranks the highest of any hospitals in Northwest Arkansas.
“This is the third consecutive year Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas has received a CMS five-star rating,” said Ryan Gehrig, president of Mercy Hospitals Arkansas. “These ratings assure our patients that if they come to Mercy, they will receive the highest-quality care available. Ratings matter when it comes to the health of your family and friends. Our caregivers work diligently every day to ensure that anyone who comes through our doors receives not only quality service but compassionate care.”
Five stars is the highest quality rating given by CMS and is considered one of the strongest indicators that patients will receive excellent care. CMS re-evaluates hospitals annually using more than 100 measures divided into five categories: mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timeliness and effectiveness of care. Only 429 hospitals out of 3,093 in the United States received a CMS five-star rating this year.
In addition to a five-star CMS rating, Mercy Northwest Arkansas has received six straight A grades for protecting patients from harm and error by The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization. Mercy NWA is the only hospital in Arkansas to earn both achievements.
Providing the highest quality of care goes hand-in-hand with Mercy’s mission to expand access to health care in the region, which will continue to grow as part of the recently announced $500 million expansion in Northwest Arkansas.
We spoke with Dr. Sonal Bhakta, VP/Chief Medical Officer for Mercy Hospital NWA, about the ratings and Mercy’s commitment to quality care.
What’s the significance of the 5-star rating and A grade?
“These achievements are important for many reasons, but specifically because they are the highest quality ratings possible and that matters for every patient we interact with. Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas is the only hospital in the state to earn both a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and an A patient safety grade from The Leapfrog Group. The Leapfrog group provides two evaluations a year, while CMS re-evaluates the ratings annually. Our CMS 5-star rating is considered one of the strongest indicators that patients will receive excellent care.”
How do you feel about Mercy getting this recognition?
“While it is a remarkable achievement for Mercy NWA, it is an even bigger acknowledgment of every single one of our co-workers, because this level of quality simply wouldn’t be possible without the dedication and commitment required at every level. From the bedside interactions of nurses and physician with patients, to the many techs analyzing data, to the housekeeping department, to the co-workers who manage our supply chain materials, etc., it just takes all of us working together.
That is the recognition I most care about because it makes possible the highest quality of care for our patients.”
What do the ratings mean for patients of Mercy Hospital?
“When it comes to the quality of care provided and the safety related to the care you receive as a patient, you should not only want the very best possible but expect it. Our CMS 5-star rating and A patient safety grade from The Leapfrog Group absolutely are the best you can get and that is what our patients deserve. You can think of it like this. Given a choice between staying at a 5-star hotel or a 2-star hotel, which is likely to deliver the best quality and experience? When you apply a similar question related to your health, there should be no hesitation. You want the best quality possible.”
How do you direct your team to deliver high quality care?
“Mercy provides compassionate care to our patients and quality is part of that process. There are many quality metrics that we monitor and review consistently to ensure we provide the best care possible. Quality patient care is driven by everyone in the organization starting with open communication, monitoring, and making sure we follow our mission.”
Why is that important?
“Health care is our life’s work, and we treat our calling with great importance. Caring for our community is not only our mission, but it is also at the core of who we are. Providing the best quality of care is all we know, and that is why accuracy and timely communication are paramount to meeting the desired outcomes of our patients.”
How did the recent pandemic impact Mercy’s mission for patient care?
“The pandemic impacted so many in the healthcare field. We have faced many difficulties throughout the past few years, and we continue to overcome the challenges we encounter now, postpandemic. Many health care professionals are leaving the field, nationally and right here in Northwest Arkansas. Our team has managed to rethink and innovate how we staff so that we can maintain the highest quality of care. Through the dedication of our co-workers in our hospital, we have been able to learn from these difficulties and strategize how we continue our mission in the most effective ways.”
What was learned during the pandemic that will inform patient care going forward?
“Resiliency and mission are two of most important concepts that got us through the pandemic. We learned we must consistently ground ourselves and remind each other of the “why” behind everything that we do. By remaining resilient and keeping our focus on our mission, we can continue forward with the best patient care possible.”
What would you say are Mercy’s greatest needs in order to continue providing quality care?
“Mercy remains dedicated to maintaining the highest quality of care for our patients, but we are always looking at how we can build upon what we have already accomplished to do more. Right now, the greatest area of need comes down to increasing access to the highest quality health care for our growing population in NWA. That’s why Mercy is investing $500 million dollars to expand services, facilities and double the number of physicians and advanced practitioners in primary and specialty care. Beyond our investment, through the efforts of the Mercy Health Foundation and the generous spirit of giving in Northwest Arkansas, we’ll able to accomplish even more and meet the increasing need of the region.”
What would you say are Mercy’s greatest assets in terms of quality patient care?
“Dedication and the commitment of all our co-workers are Mercy’s greatest asset to quality patient care. We foster a very close team environment here and that has everything to do with our success of providing quality care to the community. Our culture at Mercy and amazing team has everything to do with our quality achievements.”
What are you most grateful for this season?
“I am grateful for every Mercy co-worker and for the wonderful relationships I enjoy with those I work closely with. I am thankful for our wonderful and giving Northwest Arkansas community. I am thankful to be present and able to help.”
About Mercy
Mercy, one of the 25 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized quality care and one of the nation’s largest Accountable Care Organizations. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including more than 40 acute care, managed and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies.
Mercy has 900 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 4,000 Mercy Clinic physicians and advanced practitioners, and more than 40,000 co-workers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.