A federal group has released its rankings of hospitals, and local health care providers are already vowing to do better.

The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services on Wednesday unveiled its star ratings, ranking hospitals around the nation based on a number of criteria.

Lewiston’s hospitals did fair to average: St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center was given a four-star rating while Central Maine Medical Center was rated three stars.

The ranking system uses five stars as the highest possible score. Only 102 hospitals of 3,617 were given five stars. Another 129 hospitals received one star.

Roughly half of the hospitals received an average rating of three stars.

“Providing quality health care and a positive experience for our patients underlies everything we do at Central Maine Healthcare,” said CMMC President Tina Legere. “And because of that, we simply can’t be satisfied with three- and four-star ratings. We know we can do better and every day we are striving to be better.” 

The rankings were expected earlier this summer. However, when some hospital administrators questioned the validity of the ranking system, CMS pulled back to re-examine its results before releasing them Wednesday.

According to a medicare.gov fact sheet, the CMS has developed 12 Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems star ratings to make it easier for consumers to use the information.

The survey is administered to a random sample of adult patients across medical conditions between 48 hours and six weeks after discharge. The survey isn’t restricted to Medicare beneficiaries, according to the fact sheet.

To get star ratings, hospitals must have at least 100 completed surveys over a given four-quarter period, according to the report. Hospitals with fewer than 100 completed surveys don’t get star ratings, but their scores are publicly reported on Hospital Compare.

The rankings are based on topics that include hospital cleanliness, nurse communication, pain management, doctor communication and care transition.

Legere made her comments in a written statement from Central Maine Healthcare, which includes CMMC, Rumford Hospital and Bridgton Hospital. 

Bridgton received four stars while CMMC and Rumford Hospital each received three.

“We are grateful to be acknowledged for the things we are doing well, and we are keenly aware that the effort to improve quality doesn’t stop,” said David Frum, president of Bridgton and Rumford hospitals.

“These ratings, much like a school report card, highlight our strengths and the areas in need of improvement,” Legere said. “One takeaway is that this is an opportunity to engage everyone from the patient to the provider in making our hospitals better. Health care is a collaborative effort and we know, for example, that when everyone from patients and their families to medical providers practice good hand hygiene, then we can expect better outcomes all around.”

Christopher A. Chekouras, president and CEO at St. Mary’s in Lewiston, sent out a statement late in the day.

“At St. Mary’s we are committed to continuous improvement and providing an exceptional experience to patients, guests and employees,” he wrote. “In the spirit of our mission, we will continue to provide services with compassion and respect for everyone.”

Administrators from Franklin Memorial and Stephens Memorial hospitals, which each rated three stars, did not respond to requests for comment on the rankings.

How area hospitals were ranked in a 5-star rating system:

Central Maine Medical Center, Lewiston, 3 stars;

St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Lewiston, 4 stars;

Bridgton Hospital, 4 stars;

Franklin Memorial Hospital, Farmington, 3 stars;

Mid Coast Hospital, Brunswick, 3 stars;

Rumford Hospital, 3 stars;

Stephens Memorial Hospital, Norway, 3 stars.