Healthgrades 2015 report recognizes better clinical outcomes at St. Elizabeth’s for multiple areas of Cardiac Care and Patient Safety

St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, a teaching affiliate of Tufts University School of Medicine, earned multiple “top-in-nation”, including several 5-star rankings in cardiac care from Healthgrades, the leading online resource that helps consumers search, compare and connect with physicians and hospitals. In addition, St. Elizabeth’s earned the Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award™ 2014. The honors, detailed in the Healthgrades 2015 Report to the Nation, evaluate hospital performance at more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide for 33 of the most common inpatient procedures and conditions.

Among the most distinguished honors St. Elizabeth’s received includes being ranked among the 100 Best Hospitals and among the top 5 percent in the nation for cardiac care 2015.  All St. Elizabeth’s earned honors include:  

Cardiac Care

• Healthgrades America's 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care™ 2015
• Healthgrades America's 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention™ for 2015
• Healthgrades Cardiac Care Excellence Award™ for 3 Years in a Row (2013, 2014, 2015)
• Healthgrades Coronary Intervention Excellence Award™ for 3 Years in a Row (2013, 2014, 2015)
• Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Overall Cardiac Services 2015
• Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Coronary Interventional Procedures for 2 Years in a Row (2014,  2015)
• Five-Star Recipient for Coronary Interventional Procedures for 3 Years in a Row (2013, 2014, 2015)
• Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Heart Attack  2015
• Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Heart Failure 2015
• Five-Star Recipient for Defibrillator Procedures 2015

Patient Safety

• Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award™ 2014
• Ranked Among the Top 10% in the Nation for Patient Safety 2014

Cardiac Care Honors
“St. Elizabeth’s has made significant investments in its cardiac care programs,” said Roger Mitty, MD, interim president, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center. “Our focus on evaluating and implementing new technology such as robotic cardiac surgery or the TAVR procedure, to finding and hiring talented physicians, nurses and support staff, have been critical in our enhanced cardiac care programs. Our patients’ safety, outcomes and experiences are paramount, and we remain vigilant in ensuring that we only continue to enhance our performance on behalf of our patients.”
Among St. Elizabeth’s investments in cardiac care the past several years:

• Development of the Center for Advanced Cardiac Care including surgeons Arvind Agnihotri, MD, chief of the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Ara Ketchedjian, MD and Stanley Tam, MD
• Development of the TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) program
• New 25-bed ICU

A breakdown of the ratings reflects:

• A 5-star rating indicates that St. Elizabeth’s clinical outcomes are better than expected when treating the condition or conducting the procedure being evaluated. Healthgrades 2015 Report to the Nation revealed that individuals are more likely to die or have complications at hospitals receiving the lowest Healthgrades’ rating. The report also underscores how widely hospital outcomes can vary, and that better quality can result in lower direct costs incurred by the hospital providing care. There is a definitive link between higher rates of complications and death and associated increases in direct costs for hospitals.
•  The rankings in this 2015 report highlight the disparity in hospital performance for specific conditions and procedures and the impact that this variation may have on health outcomes. For example, from 2011-2013, if all hospitals as a group, performed similarly to hospitals receiving 5-stars as a group, on average 228,426 lives could potentially have been saved and 169,298 complications could potentially have been avoided.

“The Healthgrades analysis shows that not all hospitals perform equally in all procedures, so it is important that consumers do their homework when selecting a hospital,” said Evan Marks, Chief Strategy Officer, Healthgrades. “Those hospitals that have achieved the Healthgrades distinction have demonstrated a commitment to exceptional clinical quality care.”
Patient Safety Honors

“It is an honor to be named a recipient of the Healthgrades 2014 Patient Safety Excellence Award 2014,” said Dr. Mitty.  “Being within the top 10 percent of all hospitals evaluated for our excellent performance in safeguarding patients from serious, potentially preventable complications during their hospital stays is a direct reflection of our staff’s commitment to patient safety.”
When compared to hospitals performing in the bottom 5% for patient safety, patients treated in Healthgrades 2014 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient hospitals, on average, were:

• 73% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital compared to hospitals ranked in the bottom 5% in the nation.[1]
• 72% less likely to experience a hip fracture following surgery compared to hospitals ranked in the bottom 5% in the nation. [1]

“Healthgrades is dedicated to providing quality information that helps consumers make decisions based on objective data leading to the best care for themselves and their families,” said Evan Marks, Executive Vice President, Informatics and Strategy, Healthgrades. “Consumers can rest assured that a hospital recognized with a Healthgrades 2014 Patient Safety Excellence Award has demonstrated an established commitment to patient safety.” 67% less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired at the hospital compared to hospitals ranked in the bottom 5% in the nation. [1]
 
A breakdown of the ratings reflects:

• During the 2014 study period (2010-2012), Patient Safety Excellence Award hospitals showed better than expected performance in providing safety for patients in the Medicare population, as measured by objective outcomes (risk-adjusted patient safety indicator rates) across 13 of the 14 patient safety indicators defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).  If all hospitals performed at the same level of award recipients, 266,813 patient safety events among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals, potentially could have been avoided

For more information about Healthgrades, to learn more about the methodology or to download a full copy of the report or to receive information about hospital and physician quality, visit: www.Healthgrades.com/quality today.

[1]Statistics are based on Healthgrades application of QI Windows® Software (version 4.4), developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), to MedPAR data for years 2010 through 2012 and represent 3-year estimates for Medicare patients only

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About St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center is a major academic medical center affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine and part of the Steward Health Care Network.  Areas of medical excellence include cardiology, cardiac surgery, neurosciences, general and robotic surgery, bariatric surgery, women’s health, high-risk obstetrics, bone and joint health, hematology/oncology, pulmonary medicine and emergency medicine. Additional information is available at www.semc.org.