Special to the Journal
Houston
Medical Center has achieved a place on Healthgrades America’s 100 Best™ hospital list for the second year in a row. Healthgrades,
the leading online resource that helps consumers search, evaluate, compare and
connect with physicians and hospitals, evaluated nearly 4,500 hospitals
nationwide based on objective measures of clinical performance. This represents six years of advanced and continuous
clinical quality excellence and patient care for Houston Medical Center.
To be recognized with this distinction, hospitals
must have been designated as a Distinguished
Hospital for Clinical Excellence™ for a minimum of four consecutive years
and had risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates among the lowest five
percent in the nation. Healthgrades’ risk-adjusted methodology considers
important differences in patient demographic and clinical characteristics,
allowing for a more accurate and valid comparison of clinical outcomes at
different hospitals.
“Houston
Medical Center and the entire Houston Healthcare team are proud of this
recognition because it signifies the dedication and commitment of our staff and
physicians to providing quality health care on a daily basis,” says Cary
Martin, Chief Executive Officer for Houston Healthcare. “We work diligently to identify
areas where we can improve our quality initiatives and patient safety measures.
By consistently looking at the way we deliver care, it allows us to provide
enhanced care for all our patients and their families.”
On average, patients treated at America’s 100 Best hospitals
had nearly a 30 percent lower risk of death. If all hospitals lowered their mortality rates to
the level of Houston Medical Center, and the other 99 distinguished members of
this group, 165,636 lives could have potentially been saved nationwide between
2009 and 2011. Houston Medical Center is one of only four hospitals in the
state to receive this recognition.
“Hospitals earn this distinction by providing better than expected outcomes across a broad spectrum of
conditions and procedures over an extended period of time,” said Evan Marks, EVP
Informatics and Strategy. “Consumers
can expect a commitment to exceptional clinical quality care when selecting
among Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals.”
HHJ News
