HealthGrades identifies America's 50 and 100 Best Hospitals for 2012

HealthGrades America's 50 and 100 Best Hospitals for 2012 were identified in a report issued today by HealthGrades, the leading provider of information to help consumers make an informed decision about a physician or hospital. These hospitals demonstrated superior and sustained clinical quality, ranking them in the top five percent of all hospitals in the nation. Most hospitals have service areas where they excel and areas where they have room for improvement. Hospitals may also improve in some areas over time and regress in others. However, some hospitals show consistent clinical quality across service areas year over year. Using 12 years of Medicare data, 150 million patient hospitalization records, and 26 different diagnoses and procedures, HealthGrades has identified America's 50 Best Hospitals and, for the first time, the nation's 100 Best Hospitals.

"As our nation seeks to elevate the quality of care at all hospitals, these elite facilities provide a roadmap for success," said Dr. Arshad Rahim, HealthGrades Director of Accelerated Clinical Excellence. "Consumers increasingly are demanding greater transparency and quality when selecting health care providers. These hospitals are delivering. We commend them for their dedication to excellence in patient care."

America's 50 and 100 Best Hospital award recipients had risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates low enough to place them in the top five percent of all hospitals. These hospitals are those that have received the HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ (DHA-CE) the most consecutive years. This year, a minimum of seven consecutive years was required to make the 50 Best Hospitals list and a minimum of four was required to make the 100 Best Hospitals list. These elite organizations represent the best of the top-performing hospitals and set the quality standard for American hospitals.

Collectively, during 2008 through 2010, HealthGrades America's 50 and 100 Best Hospitals had nearly a 30% lower risk-adjusted mortality across 17 procedures and diagnoses.

From 2008 through 2010, if all hospitals performed at the level of America's 50 and 100 Best Hospitals, 179,593 Medicare deaths may have been prevented. Complete procedure-by-procedure comparisons of the HealthGrades America's 50 Best Hospitals and all others can be found at HealthGrades.com. A comprehensive methodology for this award and all HealthGrades hospital ratings and rankings is also available online.

Who Are America's Best Hospitals?

• America's 50 and 100 Best Hospitals are located in 88 cities in 25 states.
• The majority of America's 50 and 100 Best Hospitals are non-profit (87%), 7% are for profit, and 6% are government owned.
• America's 50 and 100 Best Hospitals range from 100 beds to more than 500 with 45% having less than 350 beds and 55% having more than 350 beds.

HealthGrades Hospital Ratings

In this analysis, HealthGrades independently and objectively analyzed approximately 150 million Medicare patient records from fiscal years 1998 through 2010 for 26 medical procedures and conditions. To be included in the analysis, hospitals must have met minimum thresholds in terms of patient volumes, quality ratings, and the range of services provided. Individuals may compare their local hospitals online at HealthGrades.com. HealthGrades hospital ratings are independently created; no hospital can opt-in or opt-out of being rated, and no hospital pays to be rated. 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.

SOURCE HealthGrades