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High Percentage Of NC, SC Hospitals Get Four Stars

Kaiser Health News

Patients rate hospitals in the Carolinas as good but not great. That's according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of the federal government's new star ratings based on patient surveys.

Medicare didn't give a single hospital in North Carolina or South Carolina the lowest rating (one star), and there weren't a lot of five-star hospitals, either.

But when it comes to the four-star category, the Carolinas clean up. According to the Kaiser Health News analysis, 45 percent of North Carolina hospitals received four stars based on patient surveys, as well as are 44 percent of South Carolina hospitals. Both of those marks are well above the national average.

The star ratings are the federal government's latest use of patient surveys. Medicare is already using those surveys to give hospitals bonuses or penalties. It's also tying funds to infection and readmission rates, all under the Affordable Care Act.