The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) releases annual hospital data on publically reported patient care measures and penalties. Current penalty scores are based on data collected over two years ago.

The estimated financial penalty to Gila Regional Medical Center (GRMC) is just over $61,000, which represents a significant improvement to last year's penalty of $160,000.

"We are pleased to see that our quality improvement projects are moving our scores in the right direction- we have detailed action plans and highly dedicated teams of caregivers working hard every day to move our scores higher while creating the most positive patient experience possible for those we serve," said Liana Ryan, Director of Quality and Patient Safety. "We want to avoid financial penalties imposed by CMS reimbursement rules, but much more importantly, we want to provide the best possible healthcare for those we serve."

"As the Chief of Staff for GRMC, I am confident that the collaboration between GRMC, hospital based physicians, community based physicians and allied health professionals will continue to improve the quality of care for our patients." Dr. Gregory Koury.

Throughout the recent hospital turnaround, the focus on quality care and patient safety has remained at the forefront of all activities reported by GRMC.

"At Gila Regional, quality care-patient safety is our top priority, and we take our hospital performance very seriously," stated Brian Cunningham, GRMC Chief Executive Officer. "The current penalty scores were based on data collected over two years ago. We take the challenge head on concerning how we perform for those we serve and embrace the opportunity for increased transparency."

"Our most recent data, which reflects a much wider population than what CMS looked at, shows our hospital performing within the expected range or better for these publically reported measures." Ryan added.