May 11 2021 – West Boca Medical Center announced today it is recognized as a Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence AwardTM recipient for the fourth year in a row (2018-2021). This distinction places West Boca Medical Center among the top 10% of all short-term acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading marketplace connecting patients and providers. 

 

From 2017 through 2019, there were 190,273 potentially preventable patient safety events among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals.* And, if all hospitals, as a group, performed similarly to hospitals performing better than expected on each of 13 Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) evaluated by Healthgrades, on average, 106,052 patient safety events could have been avoided.* 

 

During this time frame, four patient safety indicators accounted for 72% of all patient safety events (collapsed lung, hip fracture due to an in-hospital fall, pressure or bed sores and catheter-related bloodstream infections). Healthgrades found that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Healthgrades 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average*:

•50.3% less likely to experience a collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.* 

•60.3% less likely to experience an in-hospital fall resulting in hip fracture, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.* 

•66.5% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.* 

•65.4% less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non- recipient hospitals.* 

 

“This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication our medical staff gives each day to make sure our hospital is one of the safest places for patients to be treated,” said George Rizzuto, chief executive officer for West Boca Medical Center.  “Our hospital has taken the appropriate steps and have protocols in place so anyone who comes to our hospital receives the appropriate and proper care they deserve.”   

 

“The importance of hospital quality is now at the forefront of consumer’s minds, especially as we continue to navigate COVID-19. We congratulate the recipients of the Healthgrades 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award for their ongoing commitment to upholding the highest quality standards for their patients and communities,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Healthgrades. 

 

During the study period (2017 through 2019), Healthgrades 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient hospitals demonstrated excellent performance in patient safety within the Medicare population, as measured by objective outcomes—risk-adjusted patient safety indicator (PSI) rates—for 13 PSIs defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). A 14th PSI is included in the evaluation – Foreign Objects Left in Body During a Surgery or Procedure – which is a “never” event and does not have an expected rate.

 

View Healthgrades hospital quality methodologies.

*Statistics are calculated from Healthgrades Patient Safety Ratings and Excellence Award methodology which is based primarily on AHRQ technical specifications (Version 2020.0.1) to MedPAR data for years 2017 through 2019 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. 

 

 

About West Boca Medical Center

West Boca Medical Center is a 195-bed acute care hospital located at 21644 State Road 7 in Boca Raton, Florida. West Boca Medical Center has been serving the medical and healthcare needs of its community and surrounding areas for more than 30 years.  West Boca Medical Center offers a broad array of services, including general medical and surgical care, orthopedics and sports medicine, a robotic surgery program offering minimally invasive surgery for gynecological, urological and general surgical procedures, a state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging center featuring a short bore high field MRI and digital mammography, cardiac and surgical intensive care, outpatient surgery services, 24-hour emergency services for adults and children, outpatient rehabilitation services, and a specialized sleep diagnostic center with a dedicated lab for pediatrics and adults. West Boca Medical Center is a State Certified Primary Stroke Center and a National Certified Silver Safe Sleep Leader by Cribs for Kids.  West Boca received the American Heart Association Get with the Guidelines- Gold plus Target Honor Roll Elite Quality Achievement Awards for Heart Failure and Stroke in 2020.  The hospital is also designated as a Lung Cancer Screening Center by the American College of Radiology.

 

The hospital also offers several specialties, including women’s and children’s services. With its Birth Care Pavilion and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the hospital is equipped to treat expectant mothers and their babies from the routine to very high-risk. The Breast Center at West Boca Diagnostic Imaging is designated as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.  It offers comprehensive breast care services including prevention, early disease detection, diagnosis and treatment of breast conditions. The team at the Breast Center, which includes an on-site physician and patient navigator, focuses care on treatment techniques derived from a high caliber of diagnostic services. 

 

West Boca Medical Center has earned the Healthgrades 5-Star C-Section and Vaginal Delivery Awards five years in a row (2015-2019).  In addition, the hospital was the first in Florida to be Perinatal Care Certified by The Joint Commission.  The hospital is fully accredited by The Joint Commission on the accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. For more information about West Boca Medical Center or for physician referral, call 866-904-WBMC (9262) or visit the website at www.westbocamedctr.com