Mercy Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital, Only Hospitals in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties to Receive HealthGrades Patient Safety Excellence Award™
Miami, FL (April 7, 2009) – Mercy Hospital and Holy Cross Hospital, South Florida’s only Catholic hospitals, were identified as Patient Safety Excellence Award TM recipients today in a report issued by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization.
The two hospitals represent an elite national group that has demonstrated performance in patient safety at a level higher than that of their peers.
This year, 242 hospitals, which represent the top five percent of all hospitals in the U.S., were recognized with a HealthGrades 2009 Patient Safety Excellence Award™. HealthGrades developed this award to provide information that would help patients choose a hospital.
Mercy and Holy Cross were the only hospitals identified by HealthGrades that earned the recognition in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, respectively. It is the second consecutive year that both hospitals have earned the recognition.
“It is a true honor for Mercy Hospital and Holy Cross Hospital to receive this award,” said John C. Johnson, president and CEO for Mercy and Holy Cross. “For both to be recognized speaks volumes about the quality care provided by each facility and further emphasizes the commitment by physicians and staff to our patients.”
The 2009 HealthGrades Patient Safety Excellence study found that patients at top-performing hospitals were 43% less likely to experience a medical error as compared to the poorest-performing hospitals.
If all hospitals performed at the level of Patient Safety Excellence Award™ hospitals, approximately 211,697 patient safety events and 22,771 Medicare deaths could have been avoided while saving the U.S. approximately $2.0 billion from 2005 through 2007.
“Medical errors today are unfortunately all too common in hospitals,” said Rick May, MD, senior physician consultant at HealthGrades and co-author of the study. “We challenge every hospital in the country to bring their ‘A-Game’ when it comes to patient safety.”
“Both Mercy Hospital and Holy Cross Hospital have gone the extra mile to create a safer environment for patients. The staff and physicians of Mercy Hospital and Holy Cross Hospital should be proud of their accomplishment,” Dr. May adds.
The sixth annual HealthGrades Patient Safety in American Hospitals Study applies methodology developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to identify the incident rates of 15 patient safety indicators among Medicare patients at virtually all of the nation's nearly 5,000 nonfederal hospitals. Additionally, HealthGrades applied its methodology using 12 patient safety indicators to identify the best-performing hospitals, or Patient Safety Excellence Award™ Hospitals, which represent the top five percent of all U.S. hospitals.
The following are the patient safety indicators studied:
- Complications of anesthesia
- Death in low mortality Diagnostic Related Groupings (DRGs)
- Decubitus ulcer (bed sores)
- Death among surgical inpatients with serious treatable complications
- Iatrogenic pneumothorax
- Selected infections due to medical care
- Post-operative hip fracture
- Post-operative hemorrhage or hematoma
- Post-operative physiologic and metabolic derangements
- Post-operative respiratory failure
- Post-operative pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis
- Post-operative sepsis
- Post-operative abdominal wound dehiscence
- Accidental puncture or laceration
- Transfusion reaction
HealthGrades’ individual hospital ratings can be viewed for free at HealthGrades.com.
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About Mercy Hospital
Mercy Hospital, a recipient of the prestigious Magnet™ award for nursing excellence, HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award™ (2003-2004, 2006-2009) and HealthGrades Patient Safety Excellence Award™ (2007-2009), is Miami-Dade County’s only Catholic Hospital. Established in 1950, it is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine, Florida and a member of Catholic Health East. A 473-bed acute care hospital, staffed by over 700 physicians representing 27 medical specialties, its Centers of Excellence include: The Heart Center at Mercy Hospital, the Miami Cancer Center at Mercy Hospital, the Orthopedic Institute at Mercy Hospital, and the Minimally Invasive Surgical Institute at Mercy Hospital. Mercy Hospital is located at 3663 S. Miami Avenue, Miami, FL.
About Holy Cross Hospital
Holy Cross Hospital, a recipient of the prestigious Magnet™ award for nursing excellence, HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award™ (2003-2008) and HealthGrades Patient Safety Excellence Award™ (2008 & 2009), is Broward County’s only Catholic Hospital. Established in 1955, it is sponsored by the by the Sisters of Mercy and a member of Catholic Health East. A 571-bed acute care hospital, staffed by over 600 physicians, Holy Cross offers progressive services and programs to meet the evolving healthcare needs of Broward County. Holy Cross takes pride in the ability to combine quality medical care and advanced technology with sincere human compassion and understanding. The hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission and its medical team has earned a reputation for excellence. To learn more about Holy Cross Hospital, 4725 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, FL, visit www.holy-cross.com.
For more information regarding this release please contact:
Christine Moncrieffe
Holy Cross Hospital
954-958-4893
Gloria Caballero
Mercy Hospital
305-860-4745
Ashley Serrate
Caroline Underwood
Kreps/DeMaria PR
305-663-3543
Scott Shapiro
HealthGrades Media Contact
720-963-6584