St. Vincent’s Medical Center is one of only 269 hospitals to receive HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital  for Clinical Excellence Award™.  This distinction is based on an independent study released recently by HealthGrades, the leading healthcare ratings company.  The study of quality at the nation’s 4,971 hospitals places St. Vincent’s Medical Center in the top 5 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 5 percent lower.

Each year, HealthGrades conducts the most comprehensive studies of hospital quality in America, producing ratings for every non-federal hospital in 27 diagnoses and procedures. Hospitals that receive the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence are those hospitals that place among the top 5 percent nationally when all 27 ratings are aggregated into a comprehensive score.

“Patients want to know they are getting the best care possible,” said Phil Perry, M.D., St. Vincent’s Chief Medical Officer. “Receiving the HealthGrades Award for Clinical Excellence four years in a row now is a validation by a respected, independent, third party that St. Vincent’s Medical Center means high quality care. Performance improvement is a 24/7 pursuit for us. We’re continually engaged in activities to improve patient care and the patient’s experience. Receiving the HealthGrades Award for Clinical Excellence let’s us know that we’re doing pretty well.”

The study also shows 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 2004, 2005, 2006 by an average of 15%. 

“Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence like St. Vincent’s Medical Center have proven that it is possible to consistently deliver top-notch medical care and they should be recognized for their outstanding achievement,” said Samantha Collier, MD, HealthGrades’ chief medical officer.

For its study, HealthGrades analyzed almost 41 million Medicare hospitalization records that cover the latest three-year period, from 2004 to 2006.  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 171,424 lives could have been saved and 9,671 post-operative complications could have been avoided over the three years studied if all Medicare patients were treated at Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence.

St. Vincent’s additional HealthGrades 2008 clinical achievements include:

·        Ranked Among the Top 5% of All Hospitals in the Nation for Overall Clinical Performance

·        Received the  Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence^TM – Four Years in a Row (2005-2008)

·        One of Only 25 Hospitals in Florida to Receive the HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital Award – Clinical Excellence^TM Four Years in a Row (2005-2008)

·        Recipient of the HealthGrades Cardiac Care Excellence Award™

·        Recipient of the HealthGrades Coronary Intervention Excellence Award™

·        Recipient of the HealthGrades Stroke Care Excellence Award™ – Four Years in a Row (2005-2008)

·        Recipient of the HealthGrades Pulmonary Care Excellence Award™ – Four Years in a Row (2005-2008)