Via Christi ranked Top 5 percent in nation acording to independent quality study
Only Kansas hospital to be recognized for four years in a row
Contact: Roz Hutchinson, director of Communication and Public Relations, Via Christi Wichita Health Network, 316-719-3341 or e-mail, Roz_Hutchinson@via-christi.org
WICHITA, JAN. 26, 2010 – The clinical quality at Via Christi Regional Medical Center ranks among the top 5 percent in the nation for a fourth year in a row, according to a study released today.
The study by HealthGrades, an independent healthcare ratings organization, analyzed patient outcomes at each of the nation’s 5,000 nonfederal hospitals over the years 2006, 2007 and 2008 and named hospitals in the top 5 percent as HealthGrades Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence™.
Via Christi, one of only 269 hospitals to receive this distinction from HealthGrades, is the only Wichita hospital recipient. It is one of only 120 hospitals in the country to make the list of top-performing hospitals for four years in a row.
"It's reaffirming to receive this recognition of the dedicated physicians and staff who serve at Via Christi and their commitment to attaining and sustaining quality outcomes for patients and families," said Michalene Maringer, president and CEO of the Via Christi Wichita Health Network. "I'm pleased to receive this award on their behalf."
According to the eighth annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence study, Via Christi and the other hospitals in the top 5 percent demonstrated patient outcomes that far exceeded those of other hospitals. The risk-adjusted mortality rates for patients admitted to these hospitals were, on average, 29 percent lower than all other hospitals. Risk-adjusted complication rates were, on average, 9 percent lower than all other hospitals.
“Our data show that only a select few hospitals achieve high-quality patient outcomes not just in a few categories of care, but across the board and over time,” said Rick May, MD, a vice president with HealthGrades and an author of the study. “Patients in communities with a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence should feel proud of the hospital’s accomplishments, and confident that the level of care there is among the very best in the nation.
"Patients who choose to receive their care at a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence certainly will have a lower risk for an adverse clinical outcome relative to all other hospitals.”
As a group, Via Christi and those identified as being in the top 5 percent in the nation improved their mortality rates at a faster pace than all other hospitals. Over the years 2006, 2007 and 2008, the HealthGrades study found that Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence lowered their risk-adjusted mortality rates over the three years by an average of 14 percent, compared with a 10 percent average improvement of all other hospitals.
Via Christi also ranks No. 1 in the state of Kansas for overall cardiac, stroke, pulmonary and critical care, according to HealthGrades 2010 ratings.
Methodology
This is the eighth year that HealthGrades has independently analyzed the clinical quality performance of all non-federal hospitals across the country in 26 procedures and diagnoses. In the study, the company reviewed approximately 40 million hospitalization records from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over the years 2006, 2007 and 2008. 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.
A full copy of the study is available at www.healthgrades.com or by contacting Scott Shapiro at sshapiro@healthgrades.com.
