BRIGHTON, MA - St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center’s Dialysis Program has earned 5-stars rating as part of the Dialysis Facility Compare (DFC) Star Program. The DFC Star Program is a rating system developed by Medicare that assigns 1 to 5 stars to dialysis facilities by comparing the health of the patients in their clinics to the patients in other dialysis facilities across the country.  St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center earned 5 of 5 stars.

The star rating shows how well a dialysis center delivers care compared to the national average, based on Medicare data. Each dialysis center receives a rating between 1 and 5 stars, with 3 stars representing the national average. A five-star rating means a center has quality of care that is considered 'much above average' compared to other dialysis facilities. The star rating is part of Medicare's work to make data on the quality of patient care easier to understand and use. Patient survey results aren't included in the star rating.

According to James Strom, MD, Chief of Nephrology at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, the Dialysis Program takes great pride in delivering exceptional care.  “St. Elizabeth’s has had an in-hospital dialysis unit for more than 40 years. Our location in the hospital offers some unique advantages to patients, like specialists directly on-site.”

Dialysis Facility Compare provides details on dialysis centers across the country, including how well each dialysis center delivers care and the services they provide, patient experiences with dialysis centers, and much more. Dialysis centers are graded on nine separate health statistics. These include:

• mortality ratios (deaths)
• hospitalizations
• blood transfusions
• incidents of hypercalcemia (too much calcium in the blood)
• percentage of waste removed during hemodialysis in adults and children
• percentage of waste removed in adults during peritoneal dialysis
• percentage of AV fistulas
• percentage of catheters in use over 90 days

Based on these nine statistics, each facility is given a summary rating of 1 to 5 stars.   In addition, each facility is graded on a curve and ranked against one another nationwide.  This results in clinics being rated in a bell-shaped curve where about 30% of facilities receive only one or two stars, 40% receive 3 stars, and 30% receive 4 or 5 stars. 

“Our longstanding Dialysis Program has been a critical health care resource for our community,” said Bertrand Jaber, MD, interim chair, Department of Medicine. “Our staff continues to work diligently to provide a level of care that is unmatched in our community. We are proud to receive this recognition and committed to delivering the high-level of compassionate care we are known for.”

For more information about Dialysis Facility Compare methodology visit https://www.medicare.gov/dialysisfacilitycompare/#.

For more information about St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center’s Dialysis Program, contact us at 617-789-2588.

###

About St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center

St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center is a major academic medical center affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine.  Areas of medical excellence include vascular and endovascular surgery, cardiology, neurosciences, general and robotic surgery, bariatric surgery, women’s health, high-risk obstetrics, bone and joint health, hematology/oncology, pulmonary medicine and emergency medicine.  St. Elizabeth’s is a member of Steward Health Care.