St. Vincent’s Medical Center announced that it is among the nation’s top five percent of hospitals, according to an independent study of mortality and complication rates for nearly 5,000 hospitals released Jan. 27, 2009, by HealthGrades, the nation’s leading healthcare ratings company.

St. Vincent’s Medical Center has achieved HealthGrades’ 2009 Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence(TM) based on its clinical quality performance. According to the HealthGrades study, patients admitted to a hospital receiving this award are, on average, 27 percent less likely to die and 8 percent less likely to suffer from a major complication. This year, only 270 of the nation’s nearly 5,000 non-federal hospitals will receive this distinction.

The HealthGrades study also found that Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence are improving their patient outcomes at a greater rate in more procedures and diagnoses than all other hospitals, lowering risk-adjusted mortality rates over the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 by an average of 18%. 

St. Vincent's Chief Medical Officer Phil Perry, M.D. emphasizes the importance of being a HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence. "This award recognizes our superior performance for five years in a row. HealthGrades' national database comparison is based on what matters most to patients - low rates of injury and mortality," he states.

“The hospitals that have been designated as Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence™ have, across the board, been leaders in their commitment to delivering the highest quality patient care. Consumers can choose where they receive their healthcare and our study again highlights the tremendous disparity in quality between hospitals,” said Rick May, MD, HealthGrades senior physician consultant.

Additional 2009 HealthGrades Clinical Quality Achievements Include:

• Received the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical ExcellenceTM –Five Years in a Row (2005-2009)
• One of Only 19 Hospitals in Florida to Receive the HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital Award – Clinical ExcellenceTM Five Years in a Row (2005-2009)
• One of Only 84 Hospitals in the Nation to Receive the HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital Award – Clinical Excellence (TM) Five Years in a Row (2005-2009)

This is the seventh year that HealthGrades has independently analyzed the clinical quality performance of all non-federal hospitals across the country in 26 procedures and diagnoses. In the Distinguished Hospital Study, the company reviewed nearly 41 million hospitalization records from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over the years 2005, 2006 and 2007. All hospitals that participate in the Medicare program were part of the independent study. Hospitals that receive the HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence(TM) are those hospitals that rank in the top five percent when all 26 individual scores are aggregated into an overall score.

“At St. Vincent’s Medical Center, we have a skillful and dedicated team of clinicians and employees,” said President and CEO Scott Whalen, PhD. “It is because of their hard work and commitment that our patients and their families receive quality healthcare that is among the best in the nation.”