Healthgrades 2020 Patient Safety Excellence AwardTM awarded at time
when hospitals and the community are focused on increased patient safety
June 16, 2020 – Delray Medical Center & West Boca Medical Center announces today they both are recipients of the Healthgrades 2020 Patient Safety Excellence AwardTM. This distinction places Delray Medical Center and West Boca Medical Center among the top 5% of all short-term acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data as evaluated by Healthgrades, a leading resource connecting consumers, physicians and health systems. This award comes during a time when many patients may be delaying care for new or chronic conditions that may become life threatening. This designation is a testament to the focus on safety at these hospitals. Both have implemented safety standards that are built upon deep clinical expertise, as well as continuous incorporation of CDC, CMS and state recommendations. They are a rigorous combination of infection prevention processes, training, testing, personal protective equipment and technology.
“It is an honor to be recognized for our commitment to providing safe care, especially at a time when our community needs us most,” said Maggie Gill, chief executive officer of the Palm Beach Health Network and Delray Medical Center. “We are seeing cases where people are delaying care for things like strokes and heart attacks, which can lead to life threatening illnesses, and we want our patients to understand that our hospitals are safe places. We have always cared for patients with infectious diseases, and we are prepared. We have taken the appropriate steps, and we have the supplies needed to ensure appropriate safety standards are in place.”
During the study period (2016 through 2018), Healthgrades 2020 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient hospitals demonstrated excellent performance in safeguarding patients in 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 included in the evaluation is Foreign Objects Left in Body During a Surgery or Procedure which is a “never” event and does not have an expected rate.
Healthgrades found that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average*:
•48.3% 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.
•54.4% less likely to experience a hip fracture following surgery, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
•66.8% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
•63% less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired at the hospital, than patients treated at non- recipient hospitals.
In addition, if all hospitals in the country performed at the level of award recipients for each of the 13 patient safety indicators, 110,864 patient safety events could have been avoided.*
“Consumers might not know that information around patient safety is readily available and should be considered when researching healthcare options,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Healthgrades. “We commend the recipients of the 2020 Patient Safety Excellence Award for their dedication to providing excellent care for their patients.”
“West Boca Medical Center is proud to accept this prestigious distinction as one of the safest hospitals in the nation, and this has always been our goal,” said George Rizzuto, chief executive officer of West Boca Medical Center. “We recognize people in our community may be waiting to get care for chronic or new conditions over the last few months. This award affirms that our hospital is always ready and prepared to provide safe care.”
Delray Medical Center has received the Patient Safety Excellence Award for three consecutive years (2018-2020), and Delray Medical Center has been recognized as a Recipient of Healthgrades® ‘America’s 50 Best Hospitals’ Award™ for 14 consecutive years (2007-2020).
In addition to being recognized with the Patient Safety Excellence Award for the third consecutive year (2018-2020), West Boca Medical Center has been recognized as a Five-Star Recipient for Vaginal Delivery and C-Section Delivery (2015-2019).
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 2019.0.1) to MedPAR data for years 2016 through 2018 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only.
About Delray Medical Center
For nearly 40 years, Delray Medical Center, a 523-bed acute care hospital, has served the communities of South Palm Beach County. As both a community hospital and state-designated Level I Trauma Center located on a 42-acre medical plaza, Delray Medical Center has the ability to offer several specialized services including cardiac care, orthopedics, rehabilitation, neurosciences, emergency care and more.
For the past 14 years, Delray Medical Center has been named one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals by Healthgrades®, a leading independent healthcare ratings organization. Delray Medical Center is a recipient of the Healthgrades 2019 Patient Safety Excellence Award, a designation recognizing superior performance of hospitals preventing the occurrence of serious, potentially avoidable complications for patients during hospital stays. The hospital is also a Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Heart Failure for 17 years in a row (2003-2019).
Delray Medical Center is a state-designated Comprehensive Stroke Center and Thrombectomy Stroke Center by The Joint Commission. In addition, the hospital earned the Get With the Guidelines – Heart Failure and Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Awards from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association in 2019. Delray Medical Center was also named by Healthgrades as a Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Stroke for 12 years in a row (2008-2019). Pinecrest Rehabilitation and Outpatient Hospital at Delray Medical Center is a CARF accredited rehabilitation unit, and the only state designated brain and spinal cord injury rehabilitation program in Palm Beach County by the state of Florida, Department of Health.
Delray Medical Center is actively involved in community outreach, sponsoring several events, community lectures and fundraisers. The hospital is also a smoke-free campus. For more information or for a free physician referral, please call 1-800-897-9789 or visit the website at www.delraymedicalctr.com.
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 2019. 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.
