More 5-star ratings for Community hospitals
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| Krystal Pombo, R.N. at Clovis Community, Gloria Lovering, N.P. at Community Regional, Jeff Whittaker, R.N. at Fresno Heart & Surgical and Christina Lucio, R.N. at Community Regional, are proud to represent the employees whose dedication has been acknowledged by HealthGrades. |
For the second straight year, Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital was named “best in the Fresno region for overall cardiac services" and five-star rated for treatment of heart attack. Community Regional Medical Center earned five-star ratings for total hip replacement for the third straight year and hip fracture repair for the first time.
HealthGrades, an independent health care ratings organization, released the newest designations Oct. 15. Clovis Community Medical Center also received recognition for the second year in a row as best in California and five-star rated for bariatric weight-loss surgery.
The HealthGrades 10th annual hospital quality study analyzed patient outcomes at 5,000 hospitals nationwide from 2004 to 2006, finding a gap between the country’s best- and poorest-performing hospitals.
Fresno Heart & Surgical is a full-service acute care hospital with 57 beds, including a nine-bed cardiovascular intensive care unit and state-of-the-art minimally invasive surgical suites. Located on Audubon Drive near Friant Avenue, the hospital is known for its hotel-like atmosphere with all private rooms.
“This esteemed designation is a tribute to the excellent medical staff and clinical professionals who provide care here at the Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital,” said Wanda Holderman, the hospital’s chief executive officer. “I believe that our distinct environment, the dedication to excellence and individual treatment have contributed to these distinguished outcomes.”
Jim Vaughn, a patient who came from the Merced area for a quadruple bypass surgery, and his wife wrote a letter of thanks to the hospital for the care he received.
“When your very life is at stake, you want the best, and in Fresno Heart [& Surgical] I feel you have it,” Vaughn said.
The same might be said for Community Regional, a 457-bed academic regional medical center in the heart of downtown Fresno.
Community Regional’s joint replacement program uses minimally invasive surgical techniques to provide patients with partial and complete joint replacements. Hip and knee replacements take less time to complete, provide a faster recovery time and patients have fewer infections.
“Our physicians and staff continue to provide world-class and leading-edge care right here in the Valley,” said Phyllis Baltz, Community Regional’s chief operating officer. “This recognition for our joint replacement program is just another example of that.”
HealthGrades’ study found that patients admitted to the nation’s top-performing hospitals – five-star facilities – have, on average, a 71% lower chance of dying than those treated at one-star hospitals for 18 procedures and conditions that were analyzed.
“Our research shows that while the overall quality of hospital care in America is improving, the gap between the best-performing and the worst persists, said Dr. Samantha Collier, HealthGrades’ chief medical officer and author of the study. “This persistent gap makes it imperative that anyone planning to be admitted to a hospital do their homework and seek out highly rated facilities.”
Risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates were calculated and hospitals were assigned a one-star (poor), 3-star (as expected) or five-star (best) quality rating for various diagnoses and procedures.
This story was reported by Eddie Hughes. He can be reached at eddieh@communitymedical.org.