"Being recognized by HealthGrades for a top quality heart surgery program validates what we do day in and day out for our patients," said James E. Meyer, president and chief executive officer. "Our physicians and staff put patient care and safety first. The HealthGrades ratings prove that our care is second to none."
Mr. Meyer also said that the entire MedCentral staff is responsible for the ranking. Each contributes in some way to providing the community with expert care, close to home, he said.
According to the study, if all hospitals performed at the level of five-star rated hospitals, 237,420 Medicare deaths could potentially have been prevented over the three years studied. More than half of those preventable deaths were associated with four conditions: sepsis, pneumonia, heart failure and respiratory failure.
Based on the study, HealthGrades has made available its 2012 quality ratings for virtually every hospital in the country at www.healthgrades.com, a Web site designed to help individuals research and compare local healthcare providers.
On its Web site, HealthGrades offers, free to consumers, quality ratings of 27 procedures and treatments for virtually every hospital in the country. The Web site is designed so that consumers can easily compare patient outcomes at their local hospitals for procedures ranging from aortic aneurysm repair to bypass surgery.
Each hospital receives a star rating based on its patient outcomes in terms of mortality or complication rates for each procedure or treatment. Hospitals with outcomes that are above average to a statistically significant degree receive a five-star rating. Hospitals with average outcomes receive a three-star rating, and hospitals with outcomes that are below average receive a one-star rating. Because no two hospitals or their patients' risk profiles are alike, HealthGrades employs extensive risk-adjustment algorithms to ensure that it is making analogous comparisons.
MedCentral performed its first heart surgery in 1998. Located in Richland County, MedCentral treats patients at various locations, including Mansfield Hospital where cardiac surgery is performed, Shelby Hospital and the MedCentral Wellness Complex. A not-for-profit health system, MedCentral has 351 beds, all but 25 at Mansfield Hospital. More than 2,500 employees work at MedCentral and about 225 physicians are on its medical staff.
Mansfield Hospital is the only hospital in the region designated a Trauma Center and a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center.
Last updated January 17, 2012