HARLINGEN — Harlingen Medical Center has achieved a 5-star rating — the highest rating possible in the U.S. government healthcare quality rankings — reflecting a very high level of health care services available to Valley residents.
The 5-star rating — on a scale of one to five from the U.S. Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) — indicates an above-average performance by Harlingen Medical Center.
By comparison, no other hospitals in the Valley achieved higher than a 4-star rating and most other hospitals in the country received only a 3-star rating.
CMS rated the overall quality of almost 4,000 hospitals in the United States, using 64 measures of performance in seven major categories:
1) Safety of care
2) Mortality rates
3) Readmission rates
4) Effectiveness of care
5) Patient experience
6) Effective use of medical imaging
7) Timeliness of care
Harlingen Medical Center has been undergoing expansions to serve an increasing number of Valley patients who have been coming to the award-winning hospital.
A newly-renovated emergency room which opened in June 2017 was a first step in the expansion project.
A new Cardiac Catheterization Lab, Endoscopy Lab, and additional operating rooms for surgical procedures will also allow Harlingen Medical Center to better meet the needs of a growing community and continue to deliver compassionate, quality care.
Brenda Ivory, President and Chief Executive Officer at Harlingen Medical Center, said the 5-star score “reflects the dedication of the physicians, nurses and other health professionals at our hospital, in serving our patients with high-quality, compassionate, and personalized care.”
“At Harlingen Medical Center, we are all committed to creating an exceptional patient experience,” Ivory added. “And that includes ensuring we effectively communicate with our patients, being responsive to their needs, and providing a quiet and clean environment during their stay with us.”
Amy Flores, Chief Nursing Officer at Harlingen Medical Center, said “our people are what make the difference at our hospital … they are our greatest asset.”
“We are here to serve,” Flores added. “At the heart of all of these quality ratings and of everything we do, our priority is to take care of our patients in the best possible way.”
The recently-released “Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings” are available to the public on the “Hospital Compare” website (www.HospitalCompare.hhs.gov).
For more information on the programs and services available at Harlingen Medical Center, please call (956) 365-1000 or visit www.HarlingenMedicalCenter.com.
