St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital Ranked Among Top Five Percent in Nation for Quality Fourth Year in a Row
Hospital Ranks Number One in Texas for Critical Care, General Surgery and Overall GI Services in National HealthGrades Hospital Study
St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital (St. Luke’s) has earned the HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award™ for the fourth consecutive year, and a total of five awards altogether. This award is given to hospitals ranked in the top five percent in the nation for patient outcomes in a new study released today by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization.
Risk-adjusted mortality rates at Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence were 29 percent lower when compared to the other 95 percent of hospitals. In-hospital complication rates were nine percent lower. In addition, Distinguished Hospitals improved their mortality rates by an average of 14 percent, while the other 95 percent of hospitals improved by an average of 10 percent.
“We are honored to be recognized as one of the nation’s top hospitals by providing quality care to our patients,” says Margaret M. Van Bree, DrPH, chief executive officer, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, and senior vice president, St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System. “I am extremely proud that St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital ranked number one in critical care, general surgery and gastroenterology services in Texas.”
“Our data shows that only a select few hospitals achieve high-quality patient outcomes not just in a few categories of care, but across the board and over time,” said Rick May, MD, vice president, HealthGrades, and an author of the study. “Patients in communities with a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence should feel proud of the hospital’s accomplishments, and confident that the level of care there is among the very best in the nation.”
St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital also ranked number one in Texas for Critical Care, General Surgery and Overall GI Services in 2010. Additionally, the hospital ranks in the top five percent in the nation for Stroke Care, Vascular Surgery, Overall Pulmonary Care, Overall GI Services, Critical Care, and General Surgery as well as in the top 10 percent in the nation for Cardiology Services.
Methodology
This is the eighth year that HealthGrades has independently analyzed the clinical quality performance of all non-federal hospitals across the country in 26 procedures and diagnoses. In the study, the company reviewed approximately 40 million hospitalization records from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over the years 2006, 2007 and 2008. All hospitals that participate in the Medicare program were part of the independent study. Hospitals that receive the HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence are those hospitals that rank in the top 5% when all 26 individual scores are aggregated into an overall score.
