MARRERO, LA – For the second year in a row, West Jefferson Medical Center (WJMC) announced it has been named as the only hospital in the Greater New Orleans Area, inclusive of Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington Parishes, to achieve a Top 5 percent rating in the nation for Patient Safety Excellence.
WJMC is one of 460 hospitals to receive this recognition out of 4,600 hospitals nationwide, reps said.
The Healthgrades 2017 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ is a designation that recognizes superior performance in hospitals that have prevented the occurrence of serious, potentially avoidable complications for patients during hospital stays. The distinction places West Jefferson Medical Center among the top five percent of all short-term acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data for its excellent performance as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals, WJMC reps said.
During the 2013-2015 study period, Healthgrades found that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average:
• 40.0 percent less likely to experience an accidental puncture or laceration during a procedure, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
• 44.6 percent less likely to experience a collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
• 54.4 percent less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired at the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
• 50.2 percent less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals (statistics are based on Healthgrades Patient Safety Ratings and Excellence Award methodology which includes application of AHRQ QI software to MedPAR data for years 2013 through 2015 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only).
On average, 134,568 patient safety events could have been avoided if all hospitals, as a group from 2013 to 2015, performed similarly to hospitals performing better than expected on each of 13 patient safety indicators evaluated by Healthgrades, WJMC reps report.
“This recognition is a direct result of the ongoing dedication and focus our physicians, nurses and staff place on patient safety,” said Nancy R. Cassagne, president and CEO of West Jefferson Medical Center. “When patients come to our hospital for care, they have the assurance that they are receiving the highest quality care in a safe environment. Treating each patient with the best care possible is our top priority.”
“Hospitals who have been recognized as Healthgrades 2017 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipients have minimized patient safety events and also surpassed expectations in preventing safety incidents,” said Brad Bowman, MD, chief medical officer, Healthgrades. “We applaud these hospitals for their performance and for their organizational commitment to delivering high-quality care.”
During the study period (2013-2015), Healthgrades 2017 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient hospitals demonstrated excellent performance in safety provided for patients in the Medicare population, as measured by objective outcomes (risk-adjusted patient safety indicator rates) for 13 patient safety indicators defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
