Medicare Patients Reduce Death Risk 27 Percent by
Going to Top-Rated Hospitals
HealthGrades annual hospital survey says quality
gap results in 152,666 potentially preventable deaths 2005-07
Jan. 27, 2009 - Medicare patients treated at
top-rated hospitals nationwide across the most common Medicare diagnoses
and procedures are 27 percent less likely to die, on average, than those
admitted to all other hospitals, according to a study released today by
HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization.
Patients who undergo surgery at these high-performing hospitals also
have an average eight percent lower risk of complications during their
stay.
The HealthGrades Seventh Annual Hospital Quality
and Clinical Excellence study identifies hospitals in the top five
percent nationally in terms of mortality and complication rates across
26 procedures and diagnoses, from heart attacks to total knee
replacement.
Adds two quality measures showing how well
dialysis patients are treated for anemia, information to help seniors
better understand facility survival rates
Hospitals achieving this level of care are
designated as Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence by
HealthGrades and are identified on the organization's consumer Web site,
HealthGrades.com. Many hospitals excel in a given service line, but what
differentiates these top hospitals is their quality achievement across a
broad range of procedures and treatments.
The 2009 study of Medicare patients found that
152,666 lives may have been saved and 11,772 major complications avoided
during the three years studied, had the quality of care at all hospitals
matched the level of those in the top five percent. The difference
between these top hospitals and the rest of the pack highlights a
distinct gap between them.
Individuals 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.
"This study echoes others that have found distinct
quality gaps between top-performing hospitals and others," said Rick
May, MD, HealthGrades senior physician consultant and an author of the
study. "Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence comprise a group
of hospitals that excel across the board, not just in one or two
specialties, and they should be commended for their relentless
commitment to exceptional patient care."
In comparing hospitals in the top five percent,
designated as Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence, with all
other hospitals, the HealthGrades study found:
● On average, a 27 percent lower risk of
inhospital risk-adjusted 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, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia,
stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, bowel obstruction,
gastrointestinal surgeries and procedures, pancreatitis, diabetic
acidosis and coma, pulmonary embolism, respiratory failure and sepsis.
● For those same procedures and diagnoses,
Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence improved at a greater
rate than other hospitals, lowering inhospital risk-adjusted mortality
rates over the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 by an average 18 percent
compared to 13 percent for all other hospitals.
● Medicare patients had, on average, an eight
percent lower risk of inhospital 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 inhospital complication rates by 3.92
percent from 2005 to 2007, compared to 2.51 percent for all other
hospitals.
Methodology
In its 2009 study, HealthGrades independently and
objectively analyzed nearly 41 million patient records from the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services for fiscal years 2005, 2006 and 2007,
for 26 medical procedures and diagnoses at every one of the nation's
nearly 5,000 non-federal hospitals.
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 inhospital
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 can be found in the study
and on the company's Web site.
Jan. 27, 2009 - Medicare patients treated at
top-rated hospitals nationwide across the most common Medicare diagnoses
and procedures are 27 percent less likely to die, on average, than those
admitted to all other hospitals, according to a study released today by
HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization.
Patients who undergo surgery at these high-performing hospitals also
have an average eight percent lower risk of complications during their
stay.
