HealthGrades finds top hospitals have 27% lower mortality risk

02/06/2006

A HealthGrades study released today finds that 152,966 lives could have been saved and 21,896 post-operative complications could have been avoided if all surveyed hospitals provided care equivalent to that provided by hospitals rated in the top 5%. For the fourth annual “Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence” study, HealthGrades’ researchers analyzed data on the diagnosis and treatment of 39 million Medicare patients hospitalized between 2002 and 2004 at 5,122 acute care hospitals for any of 26 conditions and procedures. After risk-adjusting the data for factors such as patient age, gender, smoking habits, and obesity—in order to not penalize hospitals that care for “higher-risk patients”—the researchers found that hospitals that scored in the top 5% had a 27% lower risk of mortality for 17 of the 26 procedures and conditions and lowered their mortality rates during the study period 36% faster than the other hospitals surveyed. Furthermore, patients receiving care at a top 5% facility had a 14% lower risk of post-operative complications, and such hospitals improved their post-operative complication rate 40% faster than other surveyed facilities. According to the study, Florida had 50 hospitals that ranked among the top 5% for this year, followed by Ohio with 27, California with 23, Illinois with 21, Texas with 17, Pennsylvania with 14, and New Jersey with nine. HealthGrades’ vice president of medical affairs says the study’s findings indicate a “clear and profound divergence between the best hospitals and all others,” adding that the “growing quality chasm” between institutions should be of concern to both health care professionals and patients; she urges all patients to “do their homework” before choosing a hospital for treatment (Perez-Pena, New York Times, 2/6; HealthGrades release, accessed 2/6). To view the complete study, please visit www.healthgrades.com.