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Healthgrades announces patient safety and experience awards. These hospitals took both honors.
The organization examined thousands of hospitals but only a select group took prizes in patient safety and the patient experience. Four problems make up the bulk of safety events, the study found.
Healthgrades has announced the recipients of two awards for hospital quality, and only a select group of hospitals managed to claim both honors.
The organization, which evaluates hospitals in a variety of areas, released the winners of two awards on Tuesday: The 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award and the Outstanding Patient Experience Award.
Healthgrades examined thousands of hospitals and 445 were recognized with the patient safety award, which honors hospitals that protected patients and prevented serious safety events. In addition, 419 hospitals earned the patient experience award.
However, only 83 hospitals - roughly 2% - received both the patient safety award and the patient experience prize.
Brad Bowman, chief medical officer of Healthgrades, said that the awards are designed to spotlight hospitals that are focusing on patient safety and improving patient satisfaction.
In an interview with Chief Healthcare Executive®, Bowman says patient safety and improving the patient experience involve different skill sets.
Top hospitals are "focusing on both of them, and working very hard on both of them. … because these things just don't happen," he says. "I mean, you just don't really manage all of these patients, these patient safety indicators, just on accident.”
While consumers aren’t yet studying hospital quality with the same intensity as they do when buying an appliance or a car, Bowman says patients are starting to do more homework.
“There was a big kind of awareness or an increased appreciation for the importance of hospital quality that occurred during the pandemic,” he says. “People came out of that, I think, more educated health care consumers.”
If all the hospitals performed as well as the recipients of the patient safety award, Healthgrades estimates that as many as 95,880 patient safety events could have been prevented between 2019 and 2021.
Four patient safety problems accounted for nearly three-quarters (74%) of patient safety events: in-hospital falls leading to fractured hips; collapsed lungs due to a procedure in or around the chest; pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital; and bloodstream infections related to catheters.
Healthgrades examined patient safety data from nearly 4,500 hospitals for the years 2019 through 2021 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients. Notably, the period includes part of the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal officials have said hospital patient safety has suffered setbacks in the pandemic.
Healthgrades occasionally hears from hospitals that aren’t happy with their rankings.
But he also says some hospitals reach out even though they are performing at a high level, but they still want more feedback.
“They're almost like challenging us to find something that they can improve on,” Bowman says. “They just had just such an ingrained culture, of just continuous quality improvement, they run out of things to fix on their own. So they basically, dare us, kind of challenge us to try to find something, you know, that they can dig in and make even better.”
For the patient experience awards, Healthgrades said the organization reviewed 3,138 hospitals that submitted at least 100 patient surveys to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
In its evaluation, Healthgrades found three areas that best indicate if a patient will recommend the hospital to others: communication of doctors; communication of nurses; and clear guidance about care after the patient leaves the hospital.
Here are the 83 hospitals that earned Healthgrades’ patient safety and patient excellence awards. They come from 28 states.
Texas had the most dual-winners with 12, followed by Wisconsin (9), Kansas (7), Pennsylvania (6) and California (5).
Alabama
South Baldwin Regional Medical Center
City: Foley
Parent: Community Health Systems
Arkansas
Arkansas Surgical Hospital
City: North Little Rock
Arizona
Arizona Spine & Joint Hospital
City: Mesa
Parent: National Surgical Hospitals
California
Torrance Memorial Medical Center
City: Torrance
Parent: Cedars-Sinai Health System
Sequoia Hospital
City: Redwood City
Parent: Dignity Health
Mills-Peninsula Medical Center
City: Burlingame
Parent: Sutter Health
UCSD Medical Center-Hillcrest
City: San Diego
Parent: UC San Diego Health
Fresno Surgical Hospital
City: Fresno
Colorado
Saint Joseph Hospital
City: Denver
Parent: SCL Health (part of Intermountain Health)
Florida
Baptist Medical Center Beaches
City: Jacksonville Beach
Parent: Baptist Health
Mease Dunedin Hospital
City: Dunedin
Parent: BayCare Health System
Morton Plant Hospital
City: Clearwater
Parent: BayCare Health System
Mayo Clinic in Florida
City: Jacksonville
Parent: Mayo Health System
Iowa
UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital
City: Waterloo
Parent: UnityPoint Health
Iowa Specialty Hospital-Clarion
City: Clarion
Parent: University of Iowa Hospital & Clinics
Idaho
West Valley Medical Center
City: Caldwell
Parent: HCA Healthcare
Illinois
Rush University Medical Center
City: Chicago
Parent: Rush University System for Health
Indiana
Ascension Saint Vincent Carmel
City: Carmel
Parent: Ascension Health
OrthoIndy Hospital
City: Indianapolis
Kansas
AdventHealth Shawnee Mission
City: Shawnee Mission
Parent: AdventHealth
Menorah Medical Center
City: Overland Park
Parent: HCA Healthcare
Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute
City: Leawood
Parent: Saint Luke’s Health System
Saint Luke’s South Hospital
City: Overland Park
Parent: Saint Luke’s Health System
University of Kansas Hospital
City: Kansas City
Parent: University of Kansas Health System
Manhattan Surgical Hospital
City: Manhattan
Salina Surgical Hospital
City: Salina
Massachusetts
Emerson Hospital
City: Concord
Michigan
Mercy Health Saint Mary’s
City: Grand Rapids
Parent: Trinity Health System
Minnesota
Lakeview Hospital
City: Stillwater
Parent: HealthPartners Inc.
Mayo Clinic Health System Mankato
City: Mankato
Parent: Mayo Health System
River’s Edge Hospital and Clinic
City: Saint Peter
Missouri
Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital
City: Creve Coeur
Parent: BJC Healthcare
Missouri Baptist Medical Center
City: St. Louis
Parent: BJC Healthcare
Saint Luke’s North Hospital - Barry Road
City: Kansas City
Parent: Saint Luke’s Health System
North Carolina
AdventHealth Hendersonville
City: Hendersonville
Parent: AdventHealth
Duke Regional Hospital
City: Durham
Parent: Duke University Health System
Davie Medical Center
City: Bermuda Run
Nebraska
Bellevue Medical Center
City: Bellevue
Parent: Nebraska Medical Center
OrthoNebraska Hospital
City: Omaha
New York
Hospital for Special Surgery
City: New York
Parent: NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System
Ohio
Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital
City: Avon
Parent: Cleveland Clinic
Soin Medical Center
City: Beavercreek
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Surgical Hospital
City: Tulsa
Tulsa Spine and Surgical Hospital
City: Tulsa
Oregon
Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center
City: Tualatin
Parent: Legacy Health
OHSU Hospital - Marquam Hill Campus
City: Portland
Parent: OHSU Partners
Pennsylvania
Rothman Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital
City: Bensalem
Parent: Jefferson Health
Chester County Hospital
City: West Chester
Parent: Penn Medicine
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
City: Philadelphia
Parent: Penn Medicine
Oss Orthopaedic Hospital
City: York
Saint Clair Hospital
City: Pittsburgh
Surgical Institute of Reading
CIty: Wyomissing
South Dakota
Avera Heart Hospital of South Dakota
City: Sioux Falls
Parent: Avera Health System
Black Hills Surgical Hospital
City: Rapid City
Dunes Surgical Hospital
City: Dakota Dunes
Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital
City: Sioux Falls
Texas
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - College Station
City: College Station
Parent: Baylor Scott & White Health
Baylor Scott & White Orthopaedic and Spine
City: Arlington
Parent: Baylor Scott & White Health
The Heart Hospital Baylor Denton
City: Denton
Parent: Baylor Scott & White Health
CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Alice
City: Alice
Parent: CHRISTUS Health
Texas Orthopedic Hospital
City: Houston
Parent: HCA Healthcare
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital
City: Sugar Land
Parent: Houston Methodist
Methodist Dallas Medical Center
City: Dallas
Parent: Methodist Health System
South Texas Spine and Surgery Hospital
City: San Antonio
Parent: Surgery Partners
Baylor Scott & White Texas Spine & Joint Hospital
City: Tyler
Parent: Baylor Scott & White Health
Houston Physicians’ Hospital
City: Webster
Quail Creek Surgical Hospital
City: Amarillo
Texas Institute for Surgery at Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas
City: Dallas
Utah
Mountain View Hospital
City: Payson
Parent: HCA Healthcare
Alta View Hospital
City: Sandy
Parent: Intermountain Health
St. George Regional Hospital River Road
City: St. George
Parent: Intermountain Health
Virginia
Inova Fair Oaks Hospital
City: Fairfax
Parent: INOVA
Washington
Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center
City: Vancouver
Parent: Legacy Health
Wisconsin
Aurora Medical Center - Grafton
City: Grafton
Parent: Aurora Health Care
Bellin Memorial Hospital
City: Green Bay
Parent: Bellin Health System
Watertown Regional Medical Center
City: Watertown
Parent: ScionHealth
Mayo Clinic Health System - Franciscan Health
City: La Crosse
Parent: Mayo Health System
Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire
City: Eau Claire
Parent: Mayo Health System
Howard Young Medical Center
City: Woodruff
Parent: Ministry Health Care
Oakleaf Surgical Hospital
City: Altoona
Parent: National Surgical Hospitals Inc.
SSM Health Monroe Hospital
City: Monroe
Parent: SSM Health Care
Sauk Prairie Hospital
City: Prairie Du Sac
(Editor's note: The parent organization of Watertown Regional Medical Center in Wisconsin was listed incorrectly. ScionHealth is the parent organization.)
