GOLDEN, Colo. (February 23, 2011) – HealthGrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals for 2011 were identified in a report issued by the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. These hospitals demonstrated superior and sustained clinical quality over an eleven year time period, based on an analysis of more than 140 million Medicare patient records.

To be recognized with this elite distinction, hospitals must have had risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates that were in the top 5% in the nation for the most consecutive years. On average, patients treated at America’s 50 Best Hospitals had a nearly 30% lower risk of death and 3% lower rate of complications. HealthGrades study found that if all U.S. hospitals had performed at this level, more than a half million Medicare deaths could have been prevented between 1999 and 2009.

So what makes these hospitals the best of the best? For the first time, HealthGrades conducted a survey of CEOs from America’s 50 Best Hospitals to find out. The results show that factors key to sustained levels of superior clinical quality are: transparency of clinical quality outcomes, positive operating margins, above average tenure of executive team, computerized physician order entry systems and investment in physician feedback and leadership development. Details are included in the study.

HealthGrades Americas 50 Best study also compared the performance of these hospitals to all others and found:

• If all hospitals performed at the level of the HealthGrades America’s 50 Best, approximately 550,000 Medicare deaths over the last decade could have been prevented.
• Compared with all other hospitals, the HealthGrades America’s 50 Best had risk adjusted mortality rates that were, on average, 28.59% lower and risk-adjusted inhospital complication rates that were 3.45% lower.
• 86% are not-for-profit or local government entities
• For some procedures and treatments, the variation was much wider. For treatment of pneumonia, the 50 Best hospitals had, on average, a 43.82% lower risk-adjusted mortality, and for treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease the hospitals had, on average, 42.81% lower risk adjusted mortality.

The four recognized Michigan hospitals are:

• Saint Mary Mercy Hospital, Detroit
• Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak
• Beaumont Hospital, Troy
• Munson Medical Center, Traverse City

Read the full press release from healthgrades.com here. 

Download the full report here.