BMC Achieves 4-Star Quality Rating from CMS

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Health Systems has announced that Berkshire Medical Center (BMC) has been given a 4-star rating for overall quality by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS), based on how the hospital has performed across several areas of quality.  
 
The overall star rating is based on how well a hospital performs across different areas of quality, such as treating heart attacks and pneumonia, readmission rates, and safety of care. BMC scored at or above the national average on mortality, safety of care and readmission rates and performed well in patient experience and timely and effective care. 
 
"This 4-star rating reflects the commitment of our physicians, nurses and staff to providing safe, compassionate care to our community," said Tejas Gandhi, BMC Chief Operating Officer. "We are incredibly proud that this recognition publicly affirms the exceptional care that our teams deliver to our patients day after day and the high standards for quality and safety that patients can expect from their community hospital." 
 
According to CMS: "The overall rating shows how well each hospital performed on an identified set of quality measures compared to other hospitals in the U.S. The more stars, the better a hospital performed on the available quality measures." 
 
To find out more, visit the CMS Hospital Compare website: https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality/initiatives/hospital-quality-initiative/hospital-compare.  

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EPA, GE Conducting Vernal Pool Study on Housatonic River

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A pilot study will determine the best way to remediate PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, from vernal pools in the Housatonic River. 

Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric held an open house for the Vernal Pool Pilot Study on Reach 5A, a five-mile stretch between the river's confluence and Lenox border.  Despite the rain, several people attended the event at the Berkshire Athenaeum. 

EPA project manager Josh Fontaine explained that it is an evaluation of which remediation method to use for the remaining vernal pools in Reach 5A. 

"We're going to be testing two different methods. One is an excavation method, which we already know has been very successful with another vernal pool cleaned up much earlier in the project," he said. 

"And then the other is the application of two different carbon amendments. It would be the application of powdered activated carbon and the application of granulated activated carbon." 

Ten vernal pools will be cleaned using these methods: five with excavation and five with active carbon; seven additional vernal pools will be monitored as controls. Construction will be complete around October, but the pools will be left to their natural processes and monitored with surveys and sampling for three years. 

Fontaine said there is no frontrunner for methodology. 

"We know the excavation method is effective, but we would like to see if the less invasive method of using the amendment will be as effective for potential use," he said. 

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