Healthgrades Announces Top Hospitals in Bariatric Surgery
HealthgradesJennifer Newman, 303-298-4551orJacey Dobbel, 303-390-2579
Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals, today released the recipients of the 2014 Healthgrades Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award™, representing the top 10% of hospitals evaluated performing bariatric surgery.
Obesity is one of the top health issues facing the United States. More than a third of American adults (78 million people) are obese. The number of severely obese adults is forecasted to double in the next 20 years, suggesting that the demand for treatment options like bariatric surgery will grow. Choosing the right provider for bariatric surgery is critical. In fact, the Healthgrades analysis found that:
“The results of our 2014 report underscore the importance of doing your homework before selecting a healthcare provider for bariatric surgery,” said Evan Marks, Chief Strategy Officer, Healthgrades. “The hospitals recognized by Healthgrades stand above the rest for their commitment to quality care.”
In its related report, Healthgrades explores whether hospitals performing bariatric surgery with a Center of Excellence (COE) designation have lower complication rates than those hospitals that do not.
The Healthgrades analysis suggests that a statistically higher percentage of hospitals with COE designation are rated 5-stars for bariatric surgery (21% of those with designation relative to 8% of those without). However, COE designation alone is not enough. In addition to top performers, over 27% of the COE designated facilities performed statistically worse than expected, according to the Healthgrades methodology. As a group, the risk-adjusted complication rate for COE designated facilities is not statistically different from the non-designated facilities (5.18% vs. 5.37%). This suggests that COE designation alone does not equate to high performance in terms of in-hospital complications.
For more information about Healthgrades, to see the complete list of hospitals recognized and related methodology, or to download a full copy of the report, please visit .
Healthgrades, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, is the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. Today, nearly one million people a day use the Healthgrades websites to search, compare and connect with physicians and hospitals that best meet their treatment needs. Consumers are empowered through use of the Healthgrades proprietary information about clinical outcomes, satisfaction, safety, and health conditions to make more informed healthcare decisions and take action. For more information about the Healthgrades report and to make informed decisions about hospitals and physicians in your area, visit or download the Healthgrades .
Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Flegal KM. Prevalence of obesity in the United States. 2009–2010. NCHS data brief, no 82.Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2012.
Finkelstein EA, et al. Obesity and Severe Obesity Forecasts Through 2030. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2012; 42(6): 563-570.
Statistics for first bullet based on analysis for three years for all-payer data (2010-2012) from 19 states where all-payer data was publicly available during any year(s) of the three year timeframe.
Statistics for final bullets based on analysis for three years for all-payer data (2010-2012) from 17 states where all-payer data was publicly available during all three years of the analysis timeframe.