Essentia Health-St. Joseph’s Medical Center receives first five-star CMS rating

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released 2025 ratings for health care facilities as part of its Care Compare program, and Essentia Health-St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd has received the highest rating possible. 

St. Joseph’s Medical Center earned a five-star rating, placing it in the top 10% of the more than 4,600 hospitals evaluated by CMS nationwide. This is a direct result of Essentia’s highly skilled care teams, including clinicians, nurses, technicians, therapists and others who live out our values every day and provide world-class patient care. The score is based on a five-star scale, with four stars signifying a better-than-average performance compared to similar health care facilities.

“Earning a five-star rating is an incredible honor that fills us with gratitude,” said Todd Defreece, senior vice president of regional operations at Essentia. “This recognition reflects the outstanding talent, compassion and unwavering commitment of our providers and staff, who continually strive to deliver top-tier care to our patients in the Brainerd Lakes region. It reinforces our dedication to excellence and inspires us to keep raising the bar for the health and well-being of our community.”

St. Joseph’s is the only hospital in the Brainerd Lakes area to receive five stars.

CMS’ ratings are based on how well a hospital performs across different areas of quality, like the patient experience, providing timely and effective care, readmission rates, mortality and safety. 

You can find the ratings for a variety of facilities on the Medicare Compare website, which is one tool patients can use to research high-quality care. When making health care decisions, patients should use all the tools at their disposal, such as talking with friends and family as well as consulting with doctors, nurses and other trusted medical professionals.