Oct 13, 2009
For Immediate Release
Contact: Sarah Ellis, (303) 765-6484, sarahellis@centura.org
Study Puts Porter Among Top 10 Percent in Nation for Healthcare Outcomes
Specialty Excellence Award from Leading Healthcare Independent Ratings Organization
DENVER (Oct. 13, 2009) – A study issued today by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization, finds that Porter Adventist Hospital, a part of Centura Health, is among the top 10 percent in the nation for Overall Cardiac Care, Cardiology Services, and Coronary Interventional Procedures.
Porter has been recognized for clinical quality excellence over several years, demonstrating superior patient outcomes in multiples areas as noted in the HealthGrades Twelfth Annual Hospital Quality in America Study™. The nation’s nearly 5,000 nonfederal hospitals were all included in this sweeping study, which examined mortality rates and complication rates from government data from 2006, 2007 and 2008.
As a result, Porter Adventist Hospital has received the following 2010 quality accolades:
• Recipient of the HealthGrades Cardiac Care and Coronary Intervention Excellence Awards, placing the facility in the top 10 percent and 5 percent respectively for patient outcomes in the country.
• Ranked #1 in Colorado for Overall Cardiac Care
• Ranked #1 in Colorado for Cardiology Services
• Ranked #1 in Colorado for Coronary Interventional Procedures
• Five-Star Rated for Valve Replacement Surgery for 2 consecutive years
• Five-Star Rating for Treatment of Heart Attack
• Received the Highest Possible Star Ratings for Treatment of Coronary Interventional Procedures
“Cardiovascular services are a major focus for the future of Porter and of Centura Health,” said Randy Haffner, PhD, Porter Adventist Hospital’s CEO. “We are pleased to be recognized as giving the best quality cardiac care. The entire Centura Health system is working together to deliver affordable, accessible, quality healthcare across all our services, as we create systems of care to better manage the health of all.”
The HealthGrades Twelfth Annual Hospital Quality in America Study™ is the largest annual report of its kind. It analyzed patient outcomes from nearly 40 million Medicare hospitalization records.
Top-performing hospitals had dramatically lower mortality rates than other hospitals, according to the study. For the 17 procedures and diagnoses for which HealthGrades analyzed mortality rates, patients at top hospitals had a 72 percent lower chance of dying when compared with the lowest-performing hospitals, and a 52 percent lower chance of dying when compared to the U.S. national average.
At Porter, quality improvement in patient care across all services is a priority. As a result, the hospital has been recognized for implementing the guidelines by the American Heart Association and for outstanding quality and outcomes by several payer organizations. As part of a commitment to promote wellness, a unique Cardiac Early Detection program provides state-of-the-art cardiac diagnostic testing and consultation. Advanced technology such as the da Vinci ® Robotic System is also used in treating cardiac problems such as mitral valve repair.
HealthGrades Ratings
The HealthGrades hospital ratings help consumers make well-informed decisions about their health care choices and these clinical distinctions mean that patients and their families can feel confident that they are receiving care from one of the best cardiac care programs in the nation.
HealthGrades is the nation’s leading health care ratings organization that independently and objectively grades the performance of virtually every hospital in the United States engaged in caring for cardiac patients. They base this analysis using the data that hospitals submit to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Using a risk-adjustment model that accounts for the variations in illness of patients cared for by different hospitals and makes fair comparisons, they compare the quality of care of 5,000 hospitals using clinical indicators. The evaluation is based on the most recent three years of Medicare hospital data available, 2006-2008. No hospital can opt in or out of being rated, and no hospital pays to be rated.
For 28 procedures and treatments, HealthGrades issues star ratings that reflect the mortality and complication rates for each category of care. Hospitals receiving a 5-star rating have mortality or complication rates that are below the national average, to a statistically significant degree. A 3-star rating means the hospital performs as expected. One-star ratings indicate the hospital’s mortality or complication rates in that procedure or treatment are statistically higher than average. Because the risk profiles of patient populations at hospitals are not alike, HealthGrades risk-adjusts the data to allow for apples-to-apples comparisons.
More information on today’s HealthGrades study, including the complete methodology, can be found at www.healthgrades.com.
About Porter Adventist Hospital
Porter Adventist Hospital is a full service, Nursing Magnet® designated, 368-bed acute-care referral center for complex medicine and surgery patients, that specializes in cardiac care, cancer care, joint replacement, spinal care and transplant. Porter is sponsored by Adventist Health System and is part of Centura Health, Colorado’s largest hospital and health care system delivering advanced care to more than half a million people each year, across 12 hospitals, seven senior living communities, medical clinics, Flight for Life® and home care and hospice services. Porter’s and Centura's strength lies in the ability to offer a team of connected networks and shared resources to deliver accessible, reliable and cost-effective health care across the state. For more information about Porter Adventist Hospital, visit www.porterhospital.org or the Media Room at http://porter.mediaroom.com.
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