Doctors Hospital of Sarasota Ranked #1 in Florida for Orthopedic Surgery

Award is Based on Study, Which Finds Patients Treated at 5-Star Hospitals are 80% Less Likely to Experience a Major Complication

SARASOTA, FLORIDA -- Orthopedic Surgery at Doctors Hospital of Sarasota has been ranked in the top 5% in the nation and #1 in Florida by a new study released on October 13 by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. The HealthGrades study evaluates objective patient outcomes in the nation’s 5,000 hospitals.
 
As a result of this top national ranking, Doctors Hospital of Sarasota is the recipient of HealthGrades 2010 Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award™. Doctors received Five-Star ratings in all five orthopedic procedures rated by HealthGrades, including Total Knee Replacement, Total Hip Replacement, Hip Fracture Repair, Back & Neck Surgery and Spinal Fusion Surgery.

Robert Meade, CEO for Doctors Hospital, explained, “The HealthGrades® organization is one of the most respected evaluators of clinical quality in the country.  The HealthGrades® recognition truly belongs to our spine and orthopedic physicians, our surgical team, nursing staff and rehabilitation experts. Their high level of clinical performance places us in the top 5 percent in the country for overall orthopedic services. Our spine and orthopedic center also offers concierge-level care and private rooms and suites.”

The HealthGrades study, the largest annual report of its kind, analyzed patient outcomes in nearly 40 million Medicare hospitalization records from 5,000 hospitals over the years 2006, 2007 and 2008. Among the findings related to inhospital complications in this year’s study are:

• Across all procedures in which complications were studied, there was a 79.69% lower chance of experiencing one or more inhospital complications in a 5-star rated hospital compared to a 1-star rated hospital. 
• Across all procedures studied, there was a 61.22% lower chance of experiencing one or more inhospital complications in a 5-star rated hospital compared to the U.S. hospital average.
• If all hospitals performed at the level of a 5-star rated hospital, 110,687 orthopedic inhospital complications may have been avoided among Medicare patients over the three years studied.

The new 2010 HealthGrades hospital ratings were posted today at www.healthgrades.com, HealthGrades’ public Web site.

HealthGrades Ratings
HealthGrades’ hospital ratings and awards reflect the track record of patient outcomes at hospitals in the form of mortality and complication rates. HealthGrades rates hospitals independently based on data that hospitals submit to the federal government. No hospital can opt in or out of being rated, and no hospital pays to be rated.

For 28 procedures and treatments, HealthGrades issues star ratings that reflect the mortality and complication rates for each category of care. Hospitals receiving a 5-star rating have mortality or complication rates that are below the national average, to a statistically significant degree. A 3-star rating means the hospital performs as expected. One-star ratings indicate the hospital’s mortality or complication rates in that procedure or treatment are statistically higher than average. Because the risk profiles of patient populations at hospitals are not alike, HealthGrades risk-adjusts the data to allow for apples-to-apples comparisons.

More information on the HealthGrades study, including the complete methodology, can be found at www.healthgrades.com.