Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Reaches New Milestone in Quality Journey

Hospital Receives Improved CMS Star Rating for 2026

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (May 13, 2026) – Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH) has achieved a three-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), marking a milestone moment in TMH’s multi-year journey to reach and maintain a 4-star CMS hospital rating.

CMS’s Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating summarizes dozens of quality measures into a single star rating, reflecting the hospital’s performance in mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience, and timely and effective care. Ratings are assigned by comparing hospitals across the country, meaning hospitals are evaluated relative to one another rather than against a simple percentage scale.

“Earning this rating is a meaningful reflection of our team’s unwavering commitment to safe, high-quality, patient-centered care,” said Ryan Smith, Chief Operations Officer and President of Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. “This milestone demonstrates the progress we are making toward a higher star rating and our dedication to delivering the best possible outcomes for those we serve.”

Unlike traditional 5-star grading systems many people are familiar with, CMS star ratings are designed to distribute hospitals across performance groups nationwide – essentially grading on a curve. A three-star rating represents solid national performance and is the most common rating earned by hospitals across the US. In 2026, 990 of approximately 4,600 hospitals nationwide received three stars from CMS.

The CMS rating comes on the heels of TMH receiving a “B” grade in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for the third rating period in a row, demonstrating a sustained commitment to 22 evidence-based measures of hospital safety.

In recent years, TMH has implemented intentional best practices that align to these national patient safety measures. TMH is currently engaged in the following activities within the CMS review:

• Mortality: TMH continues efforts to reduce mortality through a multidisciplinary approach frequently led by physicians and clinical teams.
• Safety of Care: This domain focuses on reducing avoidable harm. TMH carefully analyzes each safety event to strengthen processes and improve outcomes. All measures in the safety domain are currently performing at a 3- or 4-star level.
• Readmission: Efforts to improve readmission rates are multidisciplinary. TMH’s hospital-wide, all-cause 30-day internal readmission rate is currently performing at a 4-star level.
• Patient Experience: This domain reflects results from the CMS Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. TMH has launched a multi-year strategy, driven by nursing leadership and new technology platforms, to better leverage patient feedback and improve the care experience.
• Timely and Effective Care: This domain includes measures tied to Emergency Department efficiency and clinical response times. Current focus areas include faster sepsis diagnosis and treatment, and reducing turnaround times for stroke imaging results.

Leaders at TMH emphasized that the achievement represents meaningful progress in a highly competitive national rating system.

“CMS ratings compare hospitals nationwide, so earning three stars with steady year-over-year improvement means we are keeping pace and gaining traction alongside many strong hospitals across the country,” shared Jana Iezzi-Tumblin, Vice President, Chief Improvement & Analytics Officer at TMH. “We closely track over 50 nationally recognized quality measures and use that data every day to strengthen processes, improve outcomes, and ensure safer care for our patients. This milestone positions us well as we continue working toward a four-star rating.”