More than 150,000 Medicare patient deaths and 13,000 inhospital complications could be avoided each year if all hospitals performed as well as those ranked in the top 5 percent nationally, according to a new HealthGrades study.
The top-tier hospitals ranked by HealthGrades, an independent healthcare ratings organization, had a 29 percent lower risk-adjusted mortality rate than other hospitals throughout the nation. They also had risk-adjusted complication rates that were 9 percent lower than other hospitals, and show that they can improve clinical quality faster than other facilities.
[W]hat's extraordinary is that these hospitals are not standing still," said Dr. Rick May, a HealthGrades vice president and one of the study's authors. "In fact, the data show that they are continuing to improve their patient outcomes at a faster rate, reflecting a commitment to quality that stands as a model for all other hospitals."
Thirty-six states have one or more hospitals in the top 5 percent. Delaware has the highest percentage of such hospitals, followed by Maryland, Minnesota, Florida and Connecticut. Thirteen states--including Nevada, Arkansas and Massachusetts--had no hospitals ranked in the top 5 percent.
In reaching its conclusions, HealthGrades studied 40 million CMS patient records at 5,000 non-federal hospitals nationwide from 2006 through 2008. The risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates were evaluated across 26 procedures and diagnoses.
To learn more:
- read this press release
- check out which hospitals made the cut