SARASOTA, Fla. (May 13, 2026) – Sarasota Memorial Health Care System reached an important milestone today -- both its Sarasota and Venice hospitals earned the highest 5-Star quality rating from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
In today’s update to the CMS Care Compare website – a federal tool that helps patients evaluate quality and safety in more than 4,000 hospitals nationwide – Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Sarasota earned a 5-Star rating for the 11th consecutive year, while Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice improved from four stars to its first 5-Star rating since opening in 2021. The community-owned health system boasts the only 5-Star hospitals in the four-county Suncoast region, and its flagship SMH-Sarasota campus remains the only hospital in Florida, and among just 17 in the nation, to maintain a perfect 5-Star rating every year since the ratings began in 2016.
The addition of SMH-Venice to the 5-Star ranks highlights the health system’s ability to replicate a culture of excellence and patient-centered care across campuses, said Saraso
ta Memorial CEO David Verinder.
“These dual 5-star ratings send a strong message to our community and to patients across Florida that they can expect nationally recognized care at every Sarasota Memorial campus,” Verinder said. “They reflect the strength of our teams working together as one health system with a shared mission and culture grounded in quality and safety.”
In addition to its 5-star ratings, SMH is repeatedly recognized for quality and safety by many independent hospital rating organizations, including U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, Forbes and Premier’s 100 Top Hospitals. Both hospitals also have a “Straight A” safety streak in The Leapfrog Group’s twice-annual hospital safety report cards.
The CMS star ratings are particularly meaningful because they summarize a hospital’s overall performance, with broad, standardized metrics across five critical areas: Mortality, Safety of Care, Readmission, Patient Experience, and Timely/Effective Care.
Verinder praised the teams from both campuses for setting the benchmark for safe, high-quality care on the Suncoast, and across the nation.
“As healthcare becomes more complex, maintaining this level of quality requires relentless focus, collaboration and accountability,” Verinder said. “These stars belong to every member of our team who come to work every day focused on providing the best care possible for our patients and community.”
Send an SMH “Stargram”
To help celebrate its dual 5-Star ratings, Sarasota Memorial is inviting community members to visit its website (smh.com/stargram) and recognize staff members with a free digital Stargram. Stargrams are delivered directly to employees and their leadership teams to recognize the people behind the stars.
About Sarasota Memorial Health Care System
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional medical center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of care, with about 2,500 physicians and advanced practice providers, 11,000 employees and 2 million patient visits a year across its network of care. Sarasota County’s largest employer, the community-owned health system includes two full-service hospitals in Sarasota and Venice, freestanding ERs in North Port and Lakewood Ranch, a rehabilitation hospital, behavioral health hospital, skilled nursing facility and comprehensive network of outpatient centers, urgent care clinics and physician practices. Founded in 1925, SMH’s flagship Sarasota hospital is the only Florida hospital to earn a perfect 5-Star rating from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — every year — since the federal rating program began in 2016.