Boiler Bay Beacon
LINCOLN CITY, Ore. — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is reminding beneficiaries to use its free online tool to compare hospital quality if they anticipate surgery or hospital stays.
An email from the Medicare Team directs recipients to Medicare.gov/care-compare, where users can review overall star ratings and patient experience ratings for hospitals nationwide.
The overall star rating, on a scale of 1 to 5, reflects performance across measures including safety of care, mortality rates for conditions such as heart attacks and pneumonia, readmissions and timely treatments. The patient experience rating, also 1 to 5 stars, draws from surveys covering communication with nurses and doctors, responsiveness, cleanliness, quietness, discharge information and overall satisfaction.
The tool allows comparisons to national averages in areas like patient experiences, timely and effective care, and complications. CMS advises discussing options with physicians, who may have admitting privileges at specific facilities, and confirming insurance acceptance.
In life-threatening emergencies, the agency stresses going to the nearest hospital regardless of ratings.
For residents of Lincoln City and the surrounding Oregon coast, Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital is the primary local facility. A recent check of the Medicare Care Compare tool shows the hospital with a 3-star overall rating and a 4-star inpatient survey rating for patient experience.
Oregon hospitals generally earn middling scores in recent CMS updates, with many in the 3- to 4-star range.
The outreach is part of an ongoing CMS effort to promote transparency and informed decision-making, particularly relevant in rural and coastal areas with limited hospital options and a growing retiree population.
To access the tool, visit medicare.gov/care-compare, enter a ZIP code such as 97367 and select hospitals for side-by-side comparisons.
CMS updates ratings periodically, so users should check the site for the most current data.
