Ft. Lauderdale, FL -- According to the Tenth Annual HealthGrades ® Hospital Quality in America Study issued in October, Florida Medical Center ranks among the top 10% in the nation for pulmonary care for the second year in a row.
The study analyzed patient outcomes at virtually all of the nation's 5,000 hospitals over the years 2004, 2005 and 2006. As a result of this study, Florida Medical Center has been awarded the HealthGrades Pulmonary Care Excellence Award ® for 2008.
This is the second consecutive year Florida Medial Center has been awarded this unique distinction. "We are extremely proud of our rankings among the top hospitals in the country in pulmonary care. We are also proud of our HealthGrades five star ratings for our other medical services," said hospital CEO Bob Haley. "The recognition reflects our commitment to providing advanced medical care of the highest caliber for all of the hospital's patients."
The Tenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study identifies key trends in the quality of care provided by approximately 5,000 hospitals nationwide. HealthGrades researchers analyzed Medicare discharges from virtually every U.S. hospital between 2004 and 2006. Risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates were calculated and hospitals were assigned a 1-star (poor), 3-star (as expected), or 5-star (best) quality rating for 28 diagnoses and procedures from heart failure to hip replacement to pneumonia.
The study also found that in 2008, Florida Medical Center is:
- Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Attack
- Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Failure
- Five-Star Rated for Hip Fracture Repair
- Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Stroke
- Five-Star Rated for Overall Pulmonary Services
- Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
- Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Pneumonia
- Five-Star Rated for Treatment of GI Bleed
- Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Sepsis
Based on the study, HealthGrades made available its 2008 quality ratings for virtually every hospital in the country at www.healthgrades.com, a Web site designed to help individuals research and compare local healthcare providers.
"Our research shows that while the overall quality of hospital care in America is improving, the gap between the best-performing hospitals and the worst persists,," said Dr. Samantha Collier, HealthGrades chief medical officer and author of the study. "This persistent gap makes it imperative that anyone planning to be admitted to a hospital do their homework and seek out highly rated facilities.
Among the study's key findings:
¥ Gaps persist between the "best" and the "worst" hospitals across all procedures and conditions studied. Five-star rated hospitals had statistically significantly lower risk-adjusted mortality across all three years studied.
¥ Across all procedures and conditions studied, there was an approximate 71 percent lower chance of dying in a 5-star rated hospital compared to a 1-star rated hospital.
¥ Across all procedures and conditions studied, there was an approximate 52 percent lower chance of dying in a 5-star rated hospital compared to the U.S. hospital average.
The 2008 HealthGrades ratings for all hospitals nationwide are available, free of charge, on the organization's award-winning consumer Web site: www.healthgrades.com.
More than three million individuals and employees of some of the nation's largest employers and health plans visit HealthGrades each month to access quality information about hospitals, nursing homes and physicians. HealthGrades also provides consumers and payers with detailed assessments of hospitals' patient-safety outcomes, based on indicators developed by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Florida Medical Center, part of Tenet's Miami-Dade/Broward Health Network, is a 459-bed acute care hospital founded in 1973 and fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Located at 5000 West Oakland Park Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale in western Broward County, Florida Medical Center offers a broad range of medical and surgical services.
These services include the Heart Institute of Florida, its center for cardiac services, designated a Premium Cardiac Specialty Center by UnitedHealthcare; 24-hour emergency services; and cancer care. Additional services include orthopedics, neurology and neurosurgery, urology, psychiatry, gynecology, imaging, pain center, sleep lab and wound care