Healthgrades names top clinical hospitals

Healthgrades today named the top 5 percent of U.S. hospitals for clinical outcomes, including El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, Calif., Exeter (N.H.) Hospital, and Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Hospital--which have been in recent news for a lawsuit fighting an executive pay cap, a hepatitis C outbreak and emergency planning during Hurricane Sandy, respectively. Out of 4,500 hospitals, 262 received the 2013 Distinguished Hospitals Award for Clinical Excellence from the Denver-based researcher. The annual awards look solely at clinical performance across multiple specialties, and not reputation or opinion survey, Healthgrades noted. The report evaluates all hospitals in the country, and no hospital can opt in or out, according to Healthgrades. Report (.pdf)