The Broward County facilities are in the top 5% in the Nation for Patient Safety.
June 17, 2020 – Northwest Medical Center and University Hospital and Medical Center, part of the HCA East Florida Division network of hospitals, announced today that they are recipients of the Healthgrades 2020 Patient Safety Excellence AwardTM. This distinction places the hospitals among the top 5% of all short-term acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems.
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.
“Patient safety is one of the most important components of patient care,” said Alvin Haynes, Chief Medical Officer at Northwest Medical Center in Margate, Florida. “Every colleague in our hospitals is responsible for an aspect of the care experience, with safety being an integral part of that. I am proud of the dedication of our physicians, leaders and staff for keeping the patient at the center of their work.”
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.*
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 HCA East Florida
HCA East Florida is the largest healthcare system in Eastern Florida and an affiliate of HCA Healthcare. Serving residents throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties and the Treasure Coast, HCA East Florida encompasses Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, Highlands Regional Medical Center, JFK Medical Center-Main Campus, JFK Medical Center-North Campus, Kendall Regional Medical Center, Lawnwood Regional Medical Center, Mercy Hospital, Northwest Medical Center, Palms West Hospital, Plantation General Hospital, Raulerson Hospital, St. Lucie Medical Center, University Hospital and Westside Regional Medical Center. HCA East Florida offers multiple ambulatory surgery centers, physician practices, urgent care and free standing emergency care facilities, as well as a supply chain center and an integrated regional lab. Together, HCA East Florida employs more than 18,800 employees and has more than 6,900 physicians on staff. For more information, visit HCAEastFlorida.com.
