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Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
Quality Matters in Choosing a Hospital: Top-Rated
Have 28 Percent Less Deaths
HealthGrades says 'Quality Chasm' remains,
free list of best hospitals they found
 January 29, 2007 - When buying real estate, they
say, it is "Location, location, location." When buying health care it is
"Quality, quality, quality." At least that's what senior citizens should
conclude from a new study showing patients treated at top-rated
hospitals nationwide have nearly a one-third better chance of surviving,
on average, than those admitted to all other hospitals, says the study
released today by HealthGrades.
Patients who undergo surgery at these
high-performing hospitals also have an average five percent lower risk
of complications during their stay, according to HealthGrades, which
describes itself as the leading independent healthcare ratings company.
The company is also making available free their list of these top
performing hospitals. (See link below.)
The annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality and
Clinical Excellence study, now in its fifth year, identifies hospitals
in the top five percent nationally in terms of mortality and
complication rates for 26 procedures and diagnoses, from bypass surgery
to stroke. Hospitals achieving this level of care quality are designated
Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence by HealthGrades and are
identified on the organization's consumer Web site, HealthGrades.com.
Disparities in the level of care patients receive,
based simply on where they choose to seek treatment, highlight a
troubling phenomenon in the U.S. healthcare system: a preventable, but
growing gap between high-quality hospitals and the rest of the field.
The 2007 study found that 158,264 lives may have
been saved and 12,409 major complications avoided, had the quality of
care at all hospitals matched the level of those in the top five
percent.
To name hospitals in the top five percent for
clinical excellence, the HealthGrades' study analyzes nearly 39 million
hospitalizations over the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 at all 5,122 of the
nation's nonfederal hospitals.
In comparing Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical
Excellence with all other hospitals, the HealthGrades study finds:
● On average, a 28 percent lower risk of
mortality was experienced by Medicare patients at Distinguished
Hospitals for Clinical Excellence in the following procedures and
diagnoses: cardiac surgery, angioplasty and stent, heart attack, heart
failure, atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
community-acquired pneumonia, stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair,
bowel obstruction, gastrointestinal bleed, pancreatitis, diabetic
acidosis and coma, pulmonary embolism and sepsis.
● For those same procedures and diagnoses,
Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical excellence had more than twice as
much improvement in hospital complications as all other hospitals,
lowering mortality rates over the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 by an
average 12 (11.74) percent.
● Medicare patients had, on average, a 5 percent
lower risk of post-operative complications at a Distinguished Hospital
for Clinical Excellence for diagnoses and procedures that include
orthopedic and neurosurgery, vascular surgery, prostate surgery and gall
bladder surgery.
● For those same procedures and diagnoses,
Distinguished Hospitals reduced post-surgical complication rates by 3.39
percent.
Seventy-five percent of this year's Distinguished
Hospitals for Clinical Excellence are being recognized by HealthGrades
for the second consecutive year.
"The data in this year's study clearly indicate
continued improvement in reducing preventable deaths and complications
in U.S. hospitals," said Samantha Collier, MD, HealthGrades' senior vice
president of medical affairs. "HealthGrades commends those hospitals for
achieving consistent, high-quality care, not just in one or two
specialties, but across the board, from orthopedic surgery to cardiac
care. However, the continued gap between the nation's top and
poorest-performing hospitals continues."
Seniors can see how their local hospitals are
rated, and if they have been designated Distinguished Hospitals for
Clinical Excellence, for free at
http://www.healthgrades.com.
Editor's Notes:
Methodology
In its 2007 study, HealthGrades independently and
objectively analyzed millions of Medicare patient records from fiscal
years 2003, 2004 and 2005, for 26 medical procedures and diagnoses. To
qualify for the list, hospitals were required to meet minimum thresholds
in terms of patient volumes, quality ratings and the range of services
provided. Prior to comparing the mortality and complication rates of the
nation's hospitals, HealthGrades risk-adjusted the data, to compare on
equal footing hospitals that treated sicker patients. Hospitals with
risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates that scored in the top
five percent or better nationally – which demonstrates superior overall
clinical performance – were then recognized as Distinguished Hospitals
for Clinical Excellence.
HealthGrades' methodology is open and can be
found in the study and on the company's Web site.
About HealthGrades
Health Grades, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGRD) is the leading
healthcare ratings organization, providing ratings and profiles of
hospitals, nursing homes and physicians. Millions of consumers and many
of the nation's largest employers, health plans and hospitals rely on
HealthGrades' independent ratings and decision-support resources to make
healthcare decisions based on the quality of care. More information on
the company can be found at
http://www.healthgrades.com.
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