| HealthGrades Honors BMC for Pulmonary, Critical Care and Stroke Care |
| December 8, 2010 For Immediate Release NATIONAL STUDY RANKS BERKSHIRE MEDICAL CENTER IN TOP 10% FOR STROKE AND PULMONARY CARE: BMC #1 in Massachusetts for Critical Care Services and Treatment of Stroke PITTSFIELD, MA – HealthGrades®, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization, has ranked Berkshire Medical Center among the top 10% in the nation for stroke and pulmonary care services, and #1 in Massachusetts for both Critical Care Services and the Treatment of Stroke. The nation’s nearly 5,000 hospitals were all included in this sweeping study, which examined mortality rates and complication rates from government data from 2007, 2008 and 2009. Berkshire Medical Center has a long history of excellence, as evidenced by this and past years HealthGrades’ rankings. BMC received the HealthGrades Pulmonary Care Excellence Award™ for the 3rd year in a row (2009-2011) and the Stroke Care Excellence Award for the 2nd year in a row (2010-2011). “BMC’s ongoing commitment to providing the highest level of care for our community is reflected in the continuing national recognition that has been achieved by our physicians, clinicians and staff,” said David Phelps, President of Berkshire Health Systems. “These national honors from independent ratings organizations like HealthGrades and many others are validation that our quality has never been higher, and the people we serve in the Berkshire community can rely on receiving the best care here at home.” In addition to the honors for Pulmonary, Critical Care and Stroke, BMC achieved high rankings in numerous other areas. The full list is: • Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Attack For 7 Years in a Row (2005-2011) • Recipient of the HealthGrades Stroke Care Excellence Award™ For 2 Years in a Row (2010-2011) • Ranked Among the Top 10% in the Nation for Treatment of Stroke For 2 Years in a Row (2010-2011) • Ranked #1 in State for Treatment of Stroke in 2011 • Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Stroke For 5 Years in a Row (2007-2011) • Recipient of the HealthGrades Pulmonary Care Excellence Award™ For 3 Years in a Row (2009-2011) • Ranked Among the Top 10% in the Nation for Overall Pulmonary Services For 3 Years in a Row (2009-2011) • Ranked Among the Top 10 in State for Overall Pulmonary Services For 3 Years in a Row (2009-2011) • Five-Star Rated for Overall Pulmonary Services For 3 Years in a Row (2009-2011) • Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Pneumonia For 3 Years in a Row (2009-2011) • Five-Star Rated for Carotid Surgery in 2011 • Ranked #1 in State for Critical Care For 3 Years in a Row (2009-2011) • Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Sepsis For 3 Years in a Row (2009-2011) “These recognitions are the result of the dedicated work by all of our staff, from our exceptional physicians and nurses to all of our clinicians and support staff,” said Diane Kelly, RN, BMC Chief Operating Officer. “Each and every day, without fail, our staff is committed to providing excellent care to all of our patients. We know this is true from these impressive rankings and from the continual stream of positive comments we receive from patients and loved ones. I applaud our entire staff for these incredible achievement and thank them on behalf of our community.” The Thirteenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America study, the largest annual report of its kind, analyzed patient outcomes from nearly 40 million Medicare hospitalization records over a three-year period. HealthGrades’ hospital ratings are the leading objective, actionable quality measures based solely on clinical performance made available to the public. Top-performing hospitals had dramatically lower mortality rates than other hospitals, according to the study. For the 17 procedures and diagnoses for which HealthGrades analyzed mortality rates, patients at top hospitals had a 72% lower chance of dying when compared with the lowest-performing hospitals, and a 53% lower chance of dying when compared to the U.S. national average. HealthGrades Hospital Quality Ratings HealthGrades rates hospitals independently based on data that hospitals submit to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. No hospital can opt in or out of being rated, and no hospital pays to be rated. For 26 procedures and medical 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 equal comparisons. More information on today’s HealthGrades study, including the complete methodology, can be found at www.healthgrades.com. ### |
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