BMC named to top five percent of hospitals

PITTSFIELD – For 2013, Berkshire Medical Center has been ranked among the nation’s top five percent of hospitals, according to an independent study of mortality and complication rates for nearly 4,500 hospitals, released by HealthGrades, the nation’s leading healthcare ratings company.

BMC has achieved HealthGrades’ 2013 Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence based on its clinical quality performance and was also honored with the same award in 2009.

From 2009 through 2011, HealthGrades Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence as a group, had an overall 30.9 percent lower risk adjusted mortality rate as compared to other hospitals that did not achieve the Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award (across 18 common inpatient conditions and procedures).

In recent years, while there has been considerable improvement in hospital quality, disparities among hospitals persist, and hospital quality can vary significantly even within local service areas.

The HealthGrades study also found that Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence are improving their patient outcomes at a greater rate in more procedures and diagnoses than all other hospitals, lowering risk-adjusted mortality rates over the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 by an average of 18 percent.

“National honors like these are important, but not just for awards. For BMC, these recognitions represent years of commitment to excellence on the part of our physicians, clinicians and staff,” said David E. Phelps, president and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. “For patients we serve, these recognitions represent objective confirmation that we are continuing to offer exceptional quality and they can feel confident that they are receiving the highest quality care, close to home.”

“We’re fortunate to be part of a health system that places quality and patient safety at the forefront of every decision and is willing to make the investments to ensure support for staff and the best outcomes for patients,” said Diane P. Kelly, RN, BMC chief operating officer. “Our success comes from everyone working together and committed to doing the right thing for every patient, every time.”

In the past, BMC has also received HealthGrades’ 2009 Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence based on its clinical quality performance. According to that HealthGrades study, patients admitted to a hospital receiving this award are, on average, 27 percent less likely to die and eight percent less likely to suffer from a major complication.

This is the 11th year that HealthGrades has independently analyzed the clinical quality performance of all non-federal hospitals across the country in 26 procedures and diagnoses.

All hospitals that participate in the Medicare program were part of the independent study. Hospitals that receive the HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence are those hospitals that rank in the top five percent when all 26 individual scores are aggregated into an overall score.

Posted by Kameron Z. Spaulding on February 14, 2013. Filed under Community News,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry