HEALTHGRADES NAMES TOP HOSPITALS ACROSS THE NATION WHO PRIORITIZE KEEPING PATIENTS SAFE

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Mar 15, 2022, 08:01 ET

In honor of Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 13-19, 2022), Healthgrades presents 2022 Patient Safety Awards™ to hospitals excelling in top-quality care for patients trying to get well.

DENVER, March 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthgrades, the #1 website Americans use to find care, today announced the recipients of the Healthgrades 2022 Patient Safety Excellence Awards™. This year's awards recognize 448 top hospitals across the nation that excel in providing top-quality care for their patients while preventing serious injuries during hospital stays, giving consumers increased transparency to make more confident care decisions.

During the study period (2018 through 2020), Healthgrades found that there were 170,231 potentially preventable patient safety events among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals.* When it comes to choosing healthcare, quality saves lives, which is why Healthgrades is committed to delivering the most scientifically accurate and comprehensive information about doctors and hospitals — with data insights not available anywhere else. If all hospitals, as a group, performed similarly to the Healthgrades Patient Safety Award Recipients, on average, 100,189 patient safety events could have been avoided.*

"With the continued influx of patients into our healthcare systems due to the COVID-19 pandemic, patient safety and exceptional care is at the forefront of hospital leaders and consumer minds alike," said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Data Science, Healthgrades. "Patient Safety Awareness Week is the perfect time to highlight the hospitals who have been recognized with a Healthgrades 2022 Patient Safety Excellence Award, as we know consumers need to feel confident about the care they receive."

Additionally, the analysis found that just four patient safety indicators accounted for 74% of all patient safety events:

In-Hospital fall resulting in hip fracture (22.2% of all patient safety events)*
Collapsed lung resulting from a procedure or surgery in or around the chest (21.1% of all patient safety events)*
Pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital (15.3% of all patient safety events)*
Catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital (15.0% of all patient safety events)*

Healthgrades also found that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Healthgrades 2022 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ were, on average:

55.8% less likely to experience an in-hospital fall resulting in hip fracture, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals*
52.6% less likely to experience a collapsed lung resulting from a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals*
66.2% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals*
65.8% less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at nonrecipient hospitals*

"Factors like hospital quality, safety, experience, and outcomes are extremely important but oftentimes consumers aren't aware they have access to this information when it comes to picking a hospital or doctor for your medical care," said Burt Kann, EVP and Head of Product at Healthgrades. "Our purpose at Healthgrades is to arm patients with the tools and information they need to make the best decisions for themselves and their family."

With tools like hospital ratings and awards, Healthgrades helps consumers make confident healthcare decisions by enabling the evaluation and comparison of hospital performance to find the highest quality care. Visit this page to view the full list of award recipients and find the hospital that's right for you. Consumers can also visit healthgrades.com for more information on how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and access the complete methodology here.

*Statistics are calculated from Healthgrades Patient Safety Ratings and Excellence Award™ methodology which is based primarily on AHRQ technical specifications (Version 2021.0.1) to MedPAR data for years 2018 through 2020 and represent 3-year estimates for Medicare patients only.

About Healthgrades

Healthgrades is dedicated to empowering stronger and more meaningful connections between patients and their healthcare providers. As the #1 platform for finding a doctor and a leader in healthcare transparency, we help millions of consumers each month find and schedule appointments with their provider of choice and prepare for their appointments with best-in-class, treatment-focused content.

Our health system, provider, and life sciences marketing solutions have been helping our partners reach and engage consumers who are on their way to the doctor for over 20 years.

Healthgrades is part of RV Health, a Red Ventures business, which has the largest consumer health and wellness audience online across its brand portfolio including Healthline, Healthgrades, Medical News Today, Greatist, Psych Central, Bezzy and Platejoy. Each month, RV Health helps more than 100 million unique visitors live their strongest and healthiest lives.

Start your search for the right care at healthgrades.com or learn more about our health system solutions at healthgrades.com/partners.

SOURCE Healthgrades