DOYLESTOWN HOSPITAL RANKED AMONG THE TOP TEN IN PENNSYLVANIA FOR CARDIAC SERVICES THREE YEARS IN A ROW
10/13/2009
Doylestown Hospital Ranked Among the Top 10 in Pennsylvania for Cardiac Services Three Years in a Row.
HealthGrades Study Also Places Doylestown Hospital in Top 10% Nationally.
Doylestown Hospital is among the top 10% in the nation for cardiac care for the second consecutive year according to a comprehensive annual study released today by HealthGrades, a leading independent healthcare ratings organization. The HealthGrades study annually assesses patient outcomes - mortality and complication rates - at virtually all of the nation's nearly 5,000 nonfederal hospitals.
Doylestown Hospital's heart services have historically been recognized among the top ten programs in the state, and that quality achievement continued with this new study. The hospital has again received HealthGrades Specialty Excellence Awards(tm) for Cardiac Care and Coronary Interventions. Additionally, Doylestown Hospital's lower patient mortality rates were recognized with HealthGrades highest rating - 5-stars - for coronary bypass surgery, valve replacement surgery, coronary interventional procedures and treatment of heart attacks.
"We are proud to offer our community exceptional heart care close to home," said Doylestown Hospital President Richard Reif. "We have a covenant with all members of our community that we take very seriously: to improve the quality of life to the best of our abilities. We specialize in delivering this care with compassion and attentiveness to the needs of each individual."
HIGHLIGHTS OF 2010 RATINGS:
Ranked Among the Top 10% in the Nation for Overall Cardiac Services - 2 years in a row (2009-2010)
Ranked Among the Top 10% in the Nation for Coronary Interventional Procedures - 2 years in a row (2009-2010)
Ranked Among the Top 10 in Pennsylvania for Cardiology Services - 3 years in a row (2008-2010)
Recipient of HealthGrades Cardiac Care Excellence Award(tm) - 2 years in a row (2009-2010)
Recipient of HealthGrades Coronary Intervention Excellence Award(tm) - 2 years in a row (2009-2010)
Five-Star Rated for Valve Replacement Surgery - 4 years in a row (2007 - 2010)
Five-Star Rated for Coronary Interventional Procedures - 3 years in a row (2008-2010)
Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Attack - 4 years in a row (2007 - 2010)
Doylestown Hospital earlier this year earned accreditation as a Chest Pain Center from the Society of Chest Pain Centers, confirming the hospital's commitment to offer each patient superior care with a team approach that includes emergency medical services, the Emergency Department, emergency room physicians, cardiologists and nursing staff. Doylestown Hospital is one of only five accredited Chest Pain Centers in the Delaware Valley.
"We are acutely aware of the needs of our patients," said John Mitchell, Executive Director of Cardiovascular Services. "Our team of exceptional physicians, nurses, clinicians, support staff and volunteers have made the Heart Institute of Doylestown Hospital one of the highest rated in the state for a reason. We work as a team to treat each patient as an individual with the best medical care possible."
According to the twelfth annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America study top-rated hospitals had a 52 percent lower mortality rate than the U.S. national average when looking at the patient outcomes of 17 procedures and diagnoses ranging from bypass surgery to treatment for heart attack. When the top-rated hospitals were compared to the poorest performers, there was an even greater difference, 72 percent lower mortality.
Doylestown Hospital is committed to improving patient safety overall with a number of successful initiatives. They include infection prevention strategies that have just about cut in half the already low rate of Hospital Acquired Infections since 2006, when current infection prevention protocols were put into place.
"Our patients come first and improving the quality of care we provide is a motivating force for every member of our hospital team every day," notes Eleanor Wilson, Vice President of Patient Services. "We offer patients excellent services in an environment that doesn't sacrifice the personal touch important in a community hospital setting."
HealthGrades Ratings
HealthGrades' hospital ratings and awards reflect the track record of patient outcomes at hospitals in the form of mortality and complication rates. HealthGrades rates hospitals independently based on data that hospitals submit to the federal government. No hospital can opt in or out of being rated, and no hospital pays to be rated.
For 28 procedures and treatments, HealthGrades issues star ratings that reflect the mortality and complication rates for each category of care. Hospitals receiving a 5-star rating have mortality or complication rates that are below the national average, to a statistically significant degree. A 3-star rating means the hospital performs as expected. One-star ratings indicate the hospital's mortality or complication rates in that procedure or treatment are statistically higher than average. Because the risk profiles of patient populations at hospitals are not alike, HealthGrades risk-adjusts the data to allow for apples-to-apples comparisons.
The new 2010 HealthGrades hospital ratings are posted at www.healthgrades.com, HealthGrades' public Web site. More information on today's HealthGrades study, including the complete methodology, can be found at www.healthgrades.com.
About Doylestown Hospital
Doylestown Hospital is a comprehensive 207-bed medical center serving families throughout Bucks and Montgomery Counties, and Western New Jersey. Doylestown Hospital's Medical Staff includes more than 420 physicians in 40 specialty areas. The Heart Institute of Doylestown Hospital is a regional center of excellence for cardiology and cardiac surgery. Other areas of clinical emphasis include emergency medicine, maternal-child health, orthopaedics, interventional radiology, gastroenterology, urology and general surgery.
