| BMC Achieves Healthgrades Excellence Awards for Bariatric Care and Women's Health |
| August 7, 2013 For Immediate Release Berkshire Medical Center Recognized by Healthgrades for Bariatric Surgery and Women’s Health Excellence PITTSFIELD, MA - Berkshire Health Systems has announced that Berkshire Medical Center has achieved the Healthgrades 2013 Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award™ and 2013 Women’s Health Excellence Award™ according to Healthgrades, the leading online resource that helps consumers search, compare and connect with physicians and hospitals. The recognitions distinguish BMC as a top performing hospital in bariatric weight loss surgery and in women’s health, which includes care provided to women for common conditions and procedures treated in the hospital. “We are proud of the exceptional quality of care our physicians, nurses and staff deliver to our community in all specialties,” said David Phelps, President and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. “The excellent outcomes that have resulted from BMC’s surgical weight loss program and our women’s health services give our community confidence that the care they receive right here at home is on par with the most elite hospitals in the nation.” Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award “Recent data on obesity prevalace in the United States shows that more than one-third, or roughly 78 million Americans are now obese. For those consumers considering bariatric surgery, the Healthgrades report underscores the importance of understanding all of one’s treatment options and the need to select a hospital accordingly,” said Evan Marks, EVP, Strategy and Clinical Informatics, Healthgrades. “The Healthgrades 2013 Bariatric Surgery Award recipients have demonstrated exceptional performance and a dedicated approach when it comes to bariatric care.” For the report, Healthgrades analyzed clinical outcomes of 204,069 bariatric surgery discharges from 467 hospitals in 18 states where data are publicly available from 2009 through 2011. Healthgrades measured hospital performance based on risk-adjusted in-hospital complications—preventable problems patients had during their hospital stay. Patients having bariatric surgery at hospitals with 5-star performance in bariatric surgery are 71% less likely to experience in-hospital complications than patients at hospitals with 1-star and 46% less likely at hospitals with 3-stars. If all hospitals from 2009 through 2011 had performed at the level of hospitals with 5-stars, 6,417 patients could have potentially avoided a major in-hospital complication. Women’s Health Excellence Award “Women tend to fare worse than men in the treatment of significant medical conditions like cardiovascular disease, so it is important for women to understand their risks and select a hospital accordingly,” said Brad Bowman, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Healthgrades. “The Healthgrades 2013 Women’s Health Excellence Award recipients have demonstrated exceptional performance and a dedicated approach to delivering superior quality of care for women.” Healthgrades 2013 Women’s Health Excellence Award recipient hospitals have the potential to save women’s lives. Compared to hospitals that performed in the bottom 10% from 2009 through 2011, Healthgrades Women’s Health Excellence Award recipients as a group had a 55% lower mortality rate across eight conditions and procedures and a 21% lower complication rate across seven conditions and procedures. If all hospitals nationwide performed at the level of the Healthgrades Women’s Health Excellence Award hospitals: • 46,317 women’s lives could have potentially been saved • 21,285 women could have potentially avoided in-hospital complications To see the complete Healthgrades 2013 Bariatric Surgery Report: Your Choices Influence Your Outcome, and/or the Healthgrades Women’s Health Report 2013: Lean In When Making Healthcare Decisions to Get Your Best Outcome, including full methodologies, please visit www.healthgrades.com/quality. About Healthgrades Healthgrades, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. More than 225 million consumers use the Healthgrades websites to search, compare and connect with physicians and hospitals that best meet their treatment needs. Consumers are empowered through use of the Healthgrades proprietary information about clinical outcomes, satisfaction, safety, and health conditions to make more informed healthcare decisions and take action. For more information please visit www.healthgrades.com and www.bettermedicine.com. ### |
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