|
SARASOTA – In a nationwide government study, Sarasota Memorial outperformed most U.S. hospitals in caring for heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia patients.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) conducted a study of mortality and readmission rates for heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia patients at more than 4,000 hospitals across the nation. Sarasota Memorial had the lowest (best) heart attack and pneumonia readmission rates of any Florida hospital included in the report, and on a national level, ranked number two out of 4,400 hospitals for the lowest heart attack readmission rates, fifth in the U.S. for pneumonia readmissions, and 31st for heart failure readmissions.
The analysis covers a three-year period from mid-2005 to 2008, and is posted on the Hospital Compare website, www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov. For mortality rates, CMS says it focused on all deaths of heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia patients that occur within 30 days of a patient’s admission to a hospital. For readmissions, the study shows how often patients were readmitted within 30 days of discharge from a previous hospital stay for heart attack, heart failure, or pneumonia. The rates are all “risk-adjusted” — which means they take into account how sick patients were, and allow for equal comparison to other hospitals that may have a higher or lower acuity of care.
A breakdown of how Sarasota Memorial ranks in each measure is listed below (the lower the rate, the better):
- Heart failure mortality rate: 8.5 percent, compared to the national average of 11.1 percent.
- Heart failure readmission rate: 19.6 percent (third lowest in state), compared to the national average of 24.5 percent.
- Heart attack mortality rate: 14.7 percent, compared to the national average of 16.6 percent.
- Heart attack readmission rate: 15.4 percent (lowest in state and second lowest in nation), compared to 19.9 percent national average.
- Pneumonia mortality rate: 10.7 percent, compared to the national average of 11.5 percent.
- Pneumonia readmission rate: 13.8 percent (lowest in state and fifth lowest in nation) compared to the national average of 18.2 percent.
“These outcomes reflect the excellence in care that we work so hard to achieve. Physicians’ and staff’s commitment to continuous quality improvement, clinical competence and adoption of best care practices all contribute to the results that patients want,” said Sarasota Memorial Hospital CEO Gwen MacKenzie. “It should be reassuring for community members to know their outcomes are more likely to be favorable here than at many other hospitals.”
About Sarasota Memorial: Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional referral center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of inpatient, outpatient and extended care services. Its 806-bed hospital is Florida’s second largest acute care public hospital. It is the only hospital in the region ranked among U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals,” recognized among “America’s Safest Large Hospitals” by Forbes.com and awarded Magnet designation – the nation’s highest honor for nursing excellence.
Date Published: Dec 8, 2009
Media Contact: Kim Savage
Phone: (941) 917-6271
|
