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H E A LT H L I N KS torrancememorial.org PULSE | 15 HOME HEALTH AND HOSPICE RECEIVES TOP RANKINGS T he federal government recently re- leased a new five-star rating system for home health agencies to bring clarity to a fast-growing segment of the medical industry. Torrance Memorial Home Health received a ranking of 4.5 out of five stars. is puts it in the top 11% of 9,000 agencies rated nationwide and in the top 10% among the 1,249 agencies ranked in California. e star ratings capture over- all quality by summing up the results of nine of 27 measures Medicare published on its Home Health Compare website. Agencies are evaluated on how quickly they visit patients, whether they explain all drugs a patient is taking to the patient or caregiver, and whether they made sure a patient received a flu shot for the season, among other criteria. Current star ratings are based on performance from the fall of 2013 through December 2014. Medicare reassesses the stars quarterly. Torrance Memorial Hospice also re- cently received accolades: It ranked in the top 9 percentile in seven quality scores measured by the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It also topped state and federal benchmarks in all but one patient satisfaction indicator by Hos- pital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores measuring patient satisfaction. Scores were reported on July 16, 2015. For more information about Torrance Memorial Hospice program, call 310- 784-3751 or visit torrancememorial. org/Hospice.aspx GEE, THANKS! TORRANCE MEMORIAL VOTED SOUTH BAY'S "BEST HOSPITAL" BY DAILY BREEZE READERS AND "BEST HOSPITAL TO WORK FOR." F or the seventh consecutive year, Torrance Memorial Medical Center has been voted South Bay's Best Hospital by Daily Breeze readers. In addition, Torrance Memorial was also named "Best Health Care Company to Work for" and "Best Hospital to Work for" the second straight year in a survey conducted by the Daily Breeze and Press- Telegram newspapers. Representatives from their parent company, Los Angeles News Group, formally presented the awards to President and CEO Craig Leach at the July management committee meeting. "We are humbled and extremely honored that our employees took the time to vote and recognize us in this way," says Craig Leach, president and CEO, Torrance Memorial Medical Center. "We have worked hard to create a culture where a high value is placed on cultivating and maintaining the stability of our workforce. We have developed and maintained a shared decision-making process that empowers employees at all levels to have an active voice in the shape and direction of their workplace."