The Medicare Hospital Compare program compares hospitals all over the nation in many important patient care categories such as patient experience, appropriate use of imaging services such as X-rays and CT scans and timeliness and effectiveness of care, among others. From this collected and reported data, a 5 STAR rating system was developed by Medicare to help people to more easily choose the best hospital for their care. The latest report was recently released and New Mexico has three 4 STAR hospitals. One of these three hospitals is Grant County's own Gila Regional Medical Center (GRMC).

"We have put in countless hours and hard work to improve our quality of care for our patients" said Peggy White, Chief Nursing Officer at GRMC. "This puts Gila Regional in the top 20% for Quality in the nation. I would personally like to thank each and every staff member in the Nursing Department for their dedication and hard work. Every one of them is invaluable to me." "I felt really great when I heard about the 4 STAR Quality Rating," said Carmen Molina, a registered nurse at GRMC. "After 33 years here I truly believe that Gila Regional is the best place to receive care and to work. Everyone who works here honestly wants to give exceptional care."

It is an impressive achievement for a rural hospital to rank so high among the many hospitals in New Mexico and across the country. The three hospitals in New Mexico who received a 4 STAR Rating were Gila Regional Medical Center, Nor-Lea Hospital District and Lovelace Westside. There were no 5 STAR hospitals in New Mexico... yet.

"Every caregiver and medical provider in the hospital is to be thanked and applauded for their efforts in earning this 4 STAR Rating," said Brian Cunningham, CEO of GRMC. "We continue to improve our services every day so we can serve our patients and customers exceptionally. This is the most important part of our mission."