HealthGrades Bestows Distinction for Third Year in a Row
NEW ORLEANS – HealthGrades, the nation's most trusted source of healthcare provider information, has named Ochsner Medical Center and Ochsner Medical Center- West Bank Campus (both campuses of Ochsner Clinic Foundation) Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence™ for the third year in a row. This prestigious distinction places Ochsner among the top five percent of hospitals nationwide for clinical performance – and the only hospitals in Louisiana to receive the award.
In addition, in October a HealthGrades study of quality metrics rated Ochsner Medical Center and Ochsner’s West Bank Campus among the 100 Best in the Nation for Stroke Care, Gastrointestinal Care, Critical Care and Pulmonary Care. Ochsner was the only hospital in Louisiana to achieve these honors as well.
What Does This Mean For Patients?
- Patients treated at HealthGrades Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence™, such as Ochsner, have 30% lower chance of dying and a 1.86% lower inhospital complication rate compared to all other hospitals
- Recipients of the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ consistently perform better across nearly all procedures and diagnoses studied.
- Only 263 hospitals nationwide out of nearly 5,000 evaluated received this award based on their quality outcomes – and Ochsner has received it three years in a row.
Unlike other hospital quality studies, HealthGrades evaluates hospitals solely on clinical outcomes: risk-adjusted mortality and inhospital complications. HealthGrades analysis is based on approximately 40 million Medicare discharges for the years 2008, 2009 and 2010. Using these top-performing hospitals as a benchmark in this year’s HealthGrades study, HealthGrades quantifies the impact of differences in hospital quality in terms of lives lost and unexpected complications.
HealthGrades Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence study objectively identifies those hospitals with the best overall clinical performance across 26 medical diagnoses and procedures that the organization rates. These 263 top-performing hospitals represent only 5% of the nation’s hospitals and each is designated as a HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence™.
“Receiving the Distinguished Hospital Award three years in a row is a testament to the importance of quality care to the doctors, nurses and staff here,” said Dr. Patrick Quinlan, CEO, Ochsner Health System. “We are extremely pleased and grateful that are our outcomes reflect our mission and the promise we make to our patients every day: to serve, heal, lead, educate and innovate.”
“Ochsner Clinic Foundation can be proud of the contributions of its physicians, nurses and staff in achieving outstanding patient care,” said Kristin Reed, MPH, HealthGrades vice president of hospital ratings and author of the study. “The New Orleans community is fortunate to have access to some of the highest quality hospital care in the nation.”
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About Ochsner Health System
Ochsner Health System is southeast Louisiana’s largest non-profit, academic, multi-specialty, healthcare delivery system with eight hospitals and over 38 health centers in Louisiana. Ochsner has been named the Consumer Choice for Healthcare in New Orleans for 16 consecutive years and is the only Louisiana hospital recognized by U.S. News and World Report as a “Best Hospital” across seven specialty categories. Ochsner employs more than 12,500 employees, over 850 physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties and conducts over 300 clinical research trials annually. Ochsner Health System is proud to be a tobacco-free environment. For more information, please visit ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
HealthGrades Hospital Quality Distinctions
As part of this study, HealthGrades evaluates each of the nation’s 5,000 nonfederal hospitals in 26 procedures and diagnoses, allowing individuals to compare their local hospitals online at www.healthgrades.com. HealthGrades hospital quality distinctions are independently created; no hospital can opt-in or opt-out of being evaluated, and no hospital pays to be evaluated. Mortality and complication rates are risk adjusted, which takes into account differing levels of severity of patient illness at different hospitals and allows for hospitals to be compared equally.
About HealthGrades
HealthGrades, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, is a leading provider of comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. More than 200 million consumers use the HealthGrades websites, including HealthGrades.com and BetterMedicine.com, to research, select, and connect with a physician or hospital, and use its comprehensive information about clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, patient safety, and health conditions to make more informed healthcare decisions and take action. Find more information about our products and services at HealthGrades.com. Follow us on Twitter (@HealthGrades) and Facebook for news and updates. More information on how HealthGrades guides Americans to their best health can be found at www.healthgrades.com.
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