|
Community Ranked
in Top Five Percent of Hospitals Nationally
TOMS RIVER, NJ, JANUARY 30, 2009 – Community
Medical Center, an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care
System, is one of only 270 hospitals in the United States to receive
HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award™. This
distinction is based on an independent study released by HealthGrades,
the leading health care ratings company.
Community Medical Center is one of only two hospitals in the state
of New Jersey and 47 in the country to receive the Distinguished
Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence for five consecutive years.
HealthGrades’ study of quality at the nation’s nearly
5,000 nonfederal hospitals places Community Medical Center in the
top five percent for overall clinical quality. According
to the HealthGrades study, Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical
Excellence had mortality rates that were, on average, 27 percent
lower than other hospitals, and major complication rates that were
eight percent lower.
HealthGrades conducts the most comprehensive studies of hospital
quality in America, producing ratings for every non-federal hospital.
Hospitals that receive the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical
Excellence are those hospitals that excel across the 26 procedures
and diagnoses rated.
Mark D. Pilla, Executive Vice President of Operations for the
Saint Barnabas Health Care System and Executive Director of Community
Medical Center, said, “It is an honor to be ranked among
the top five percent of hospitals nationally by an independent
source as prestigious as HealthGrades. Finding and receiving the
highest quality health care possible is very important to patients,
and being recognized with such a prestigious accolade by the nation’s
leading health care ratings firm is testament to the compassion
and commitment of our physicians and staff. It is their dedication
to quality and outstanding patient outcomes that makes these superior
national rankings possible at Community Medical Center.”
Pilla explained that HealthGrades’ study illustrates that
Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence™ are improving
at a greater rate in more procedures and diagnoses than all other
hospitals, lowering risk-adjusted mortality rates over the years
2005, 2006, 2007 by an average of 18%.
“Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence comprise
an unparalleled group of hospitals that excel across the board,
not just in one or two specialties, and they should be commended
for their relentless commitment to exceptional patient care. Patients
should expect and demand the same level of care at all hospitals,” said
Rick May, MD, HealthGrades senior physician consultant, and an
author of the study.
For its study, HealthGrades analyzed almost 41 million Medicare
hospitalization records that cover the latest three-year period,
from 2005 to 2007. Because the hospitalization records come
from the federal government, no hospital can opt in or out of HealthGrades'
rating process. The analysis is risk-adjusted to account for differences
in patient populations between hospitals.
HealthGrades found that Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence™ outperformed
all other hospitals across the procedures and diagnoses studied.
HealthGrades estimates that 152,666 lives could have been saved
and 11,772 complications could have been avoided over the three
years studied if all Medicare patients were treated at Distinguished
Hospitals for Clinical Excellence.
In addition to Community Medical Center ranking in the top 5%
nationally for overall clinical excellence for five years in a
row, the hospital is also ranked in the top 10% in the nation for
overall orthopedic services, overall pulmonary services, and for
gastrointestinal medical treatment.
For more information about Community Medical Center, or for referral
to a physician affiliated with its medical and dental staff, call
1-888-SBHS-123 or visit www.saintbarnabas.com.
Editor’s note: A full copy of the study is available at
http://www.healthgrades.com or by contacting Scott Shapiro at sshapiro@healthgrades.com.
[ top ] |
