SARANAC LAKE – Adirondack Health is in the top 6 percent of hospitals nationwide when it comes to guiding a patient’s experience, according to ranking from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

CMS uses summary star ratings — one to five stars, with five being the best — on its Hospital Compare website, to help patients and families evaluate healthcare options in a given geographic region. Adirondack Health is consistently ranked a four-star hospital, while the health system’s Mercy Living Center in Tupper Lake is ranked a five-star nursing home on the companion CMS Nursing Home Compare website.

The five stars granted to Adirondack Health for patient experience are based on Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Provider and Systems survey responses. The HCAHPS survey, which is distributed to hospital patients at 3,466 hospitals across all 50states, enables the federal government to aggregate and assess healthcare delivery efforts to better inform policymaking.

Adirondack Health was one of 213 hospitals nationwide to earn five stars for patient experience, and one of only two in New York state. The other, St. Francis Hospital, is located in Roslyn, on Long Island. Survey respondents pointed specifically to Adirondack Health’s exceptional nurse communication, staff responsiveness and pain management when evaluating their individual patient experiences for the HCAHPS survey.

“We are very proud to have earned five stars from CMS for patient experience,” said Sylvia Getman, Adirondack Health’s president and CEO. “We invest in our people, and empower them with the resources and tools necessary to guide our fellow community members on the path to better health.”

Adirondack Health has made a concerted effort in recent years to ensure that patients have excellent experiences. In March, the health system achieved Pathway to Excellence designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which focuses on engaging and professionally developing nursing staff. Last month, Adirondack Health created a Patient and Family Advisory Council, which convenes quarterly and provides a voice for patients, families and caregivers to share with senior leadership their feelings about quality, safety and care delivery throughout the health system.

“The nearly 900 employees working for Adirondack Health want to serve as trusted health guidesfor Adirondack residents and visitors,” Getman said. “We’ll use our heads, but we’ll also use our hearts, which is what our patients deserve and what they have come to expect from us.”