Vanderbilt Health has received coveted Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Five-Star Quality Ratings for Vanderbilt University Hospital (VUH) and Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital (VPH), located on its Main Campus. Similarly, CMS has awarded the Five-Star Quality Rating for Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital, located in Lebanon, Tennessee.
These hospitals were awarded Five-Star ratings for overall quality of care for 2026, placing Vanderbilt Health’s hospitals among the top 12% in the nation for overall performance.
CMS began the star ratings in 2006 to improve quality and transparency in health care. The Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating, which can be found on CMS Care Compare, was first released in 2016 and summarizes a variety of measures across five areas of quality into a single star rating for each hospital. Ratings are determined by scores across weighted measures for mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience, and timely and effective care.
The measures used by CMS to determine Vanderbilt Health’s Five-Star Quality Ratings also included a portion of its Main Campus ambulatory services.
“To achieve superior performance across all five CMS measures requires dedication and an intense focus on providing world-class care for each patient. I want to congratulate our physicians, nurses and staff for their consistent commitment to excellence,” said Jane Freedman, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System Officer for Vanderbilt Health.
This year, CMS measured more than 3,200 hospitals to determine overall performance. The methodology to calculate Overall Star Ratings involves multiple steps to select, standardize and calculate results based on scores for publicly reported measures. Overall Star Ratings are created using a seven-step process involving these measures.
“Through collaboration, we strengthen quality and patient safety across the continuum of care. Achieving a five-star designation reflects our consistent commitment to quality and unwavering focus on the patients and families we serve,” said Jenny M. Slayton, DNP, RN, Senior Vice President for Quality, Safety and Risk Prevention for Vanderbilt Health.
Hospitals self-report performance data to CMS through multiple programs, and once reporting thresholds are met, a hospital’s Overall Star Rating is calculated using measures for which data are available.
“This recognition is the result of countless small improvements made every day by the two extraordinary hospital teams at VUH and VPH. CMS Overall Star Ratings aren’t earned overnight — they reflect years of teamwork, perseverance and relentless focus on our patients. Thank you to every team member who contributed to this exciting achievement,” said Lee Ann Liska, MBA, President and Chief Operating Officer of Vanderbilt University Hospital.
For each hospital, a hospital summary score is calculated by taking the weighted average of the hospital’s scores for each measure group. The hospital summary score is then used to assign star ratings to hospitals.
“This recognition highlights our great work on patient safety and clinical quality, demonstrating to our community that they can trust us with all of their health care needs from simple to complex — we know that every detail matters,” said Scott McCarver, MHA, President of Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital.
