Dickinson County Healthcare System is 5-star rated for Pneumonia and Sepsis outcomes according to a study released by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. This achievement is part of new findings and data featured in the Healthgrades 2019 Report to the Nation.
The new report demonstrates how clinical performance continues to differ dramatically between hospitals regionally and nationally. Every year, Healthgrades evaluates hospital performance at almost 4,500 hospitals nationwide for 32 of the most common inpatient procedures and conditions, as well as tracking outcomes in appendectomy and bariatric surgery using all-payer data provided by 15 states and the District of Columbia.*
Variation in care has a significant impact on health outcomes. For example, from 2015 through 2017, if all hospitals as a group performed similarly to hospitals receiving 5 stars as a group, then on average 222,210 lives could potentially have been saved and 157,210 in-hospital complications could potentially have been avoided.* A 5-star rating indicates that Dickinson County Healthcare System’s clinical outcomes are statistically significantly better than expected when treating the condition or performing the procedure being evaluated.
From 2015-2017, patients treated for Sepsis in hospitals with 5-stars for in-hospital mortality have, on average a 40.2% lower risk of dying than if they were treated in hospitals with 1-star for in-house mortality.*
“Delivering the correct treatment, in the correct way, and at the correct time is a cornerstone of high-quality health care. What matters most to our patients is the quality and safety of the care they receive. That is why we have made it a top priority to improve positive patient outcomes through evidence-based care processes. We are proud of these awards as it recognizes the knowledge, teamwork and dedication of our entire hospital staff.” commented John Schon, Administrator / CEO.
DCHS was also named among the top 10% in the nation for Patient Safety for four consecutive years (2015-2018).
“Clinical quality varies significantly between hospitals, so it’s important for consumers to use information about outcomes to assess where to receive care,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Healthgrades. “This 5-star rating for Pneumonia and Sepsis showcases the expertise and commitment of Dickinson County Healthcare System to their patients.”
For its analysis, Healthgrades evaluated approximately 45 million Medicare inpatient records for almost 4,500 short-term acute care hospitals nationwide to assess hospital performance in 32 common conditions and procedures, and evaluated outcomes in appendectomy and bariatric surgery using all-payer data provided by 15 states and the District of Columbia.
Healthgrades recognizes a hospital’s quality achievements for cohort-specific performance, specialty area performance, and overall clinical quality. Individual procedure or condition cohorts are designated as 5-star (statistically significantly better than expected), 3-star (not statistically different from expected) and 1-star (statistically significantly worse than expected) categories. The complete Healthgrades 2019 Report to the Nation and detailed study methodology can be found at www.healthgrades.com/quality/
