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Gordon Wilkerson
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gwilkerson@omhs.org
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Owensboro Medical Health System Recognized for Exceptional Quality in National Study
Leading Healthcare Ratings Company Ranks Owensboro Medical Health System Among Top Five Percent Nationally
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Press Conference: 11:00 am Today
OMHS Conference Center , 811 E. Parrish Ave.
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Owensboro , KY (February 24, 2009) – Owensboro Medical Health System (OMHS) is one of only 270 hospitals to receive the HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award™. This distinction is based on an independent study released on the 27th of January by HealthGrades, a leading healthcare ratings company. OMHS is one of only five Kentucky hospitals to receive this distinction for 2009.
The study of quality at the nation’s nearly 5,000 nonfederal hospitals places OMHS in the top five percent for overall clinical quality. According to the HealthGrades study, Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence had mortality rates that were, on average, 27 percent lower than other hospitals, and major complication rates that were eight percent lower.
For seven years now, HealthGrades has conducted the most comprehensive studies of hospital quality in America, producing ratings for every non-federal hospital. Hospitals that receive the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence are those hospitals that excel across the 26 procedures and diagnoses rated.
“This award is a celebration of the work of many physicians and clinicians who have led quality efforts at OMHS over the past several years,” said Jeff Barber, president and CEO of OMHS. “Our board of directors established quality as our hospital’s chief strategic initiative and a board quality and safety committee to oversee and work with other hospital and physician quality teams.”
The study also shows that Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence™ are improving at a greater rate in more procedures and diagnoses than all other hospitals, lowering risk-adjusted mortality rates over the years 2005, 2006, 2007 by an average of 18%.
“Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence comprise an unparalleled group of hospitals that excel across the board, not just in one or two specialties, and they should be commended for their relentless commitment to exceptional patient care. Patients should expect and demand the same level of care at all hospitals,” said Rick May, MD, HealthGrades senior physician consultant, and an author of the study.
In October of 2008, HealthGrades released a study that recognized OMHS for the following distinctions across several specialties for its outstanding patient care:
- Ranked #1 in Kentucky for Cardiac Surgery
- Ranked #1 in Kentucky for Gastrointestinal Services and Gastrointestinal Surgery
- Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award™ (for procedures such as heart bypass graft surgery)
- Gastrointestinal Care Excellence Award™
- Gastrointestinal Surgery Excellence Award™
- Five-Star Rated for Overall Orthopedic Services
- Five-Star Rated for Joint Replacement Surgery (such as total knee replacement surgery)
- Five Star Rated for Spine Surgery
- Five-Star Rated for Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
- Five-Star Rated for the Treatment of Pneumonia
- Five-Star Rated for Gastrointestinal Procedures and Surgeries
- Five-Star Rated for the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Bleed
- Five-Star Rated for Cholecystectomy
- Five-Star Rated for the Treatment of Sepsis
- Five-Star Rated for the Treatment of Respiratory Failure
For its study, HealthGrades analyzed almost 41 million Medicare hospitalization records that cover the latest three-year period, from 2005 to 2007. Because the hospitalization records come from the federal government, no hospital can opt in or out of HealthGrades' rating process. The analysis is risk-adjusted to account for differences in patient populations between hospitals.
HealthGrades found that Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence™ outperformed all other hospitals across the procedures and diagnoses studied. HealthGrades estimates that 152,666 lives could have been saved and 11,772 complications could have been avoided over the three years studied if all Medicare patients were treated at Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence.
Owensboro Medical Health System serves an 11-county region in western Kentucky and southern Indiana. The hospital’s mission is to heal the sick and to improve the health of the community, with a vision to meet the region’s healthcare needs by actively listening and partnering with those it serves. OMHS is a full-service hospital, employing a workforce of over 3,100. In addition to hospital and rehabilitation services, OMHS operates three outpatient diagnostic centers, the HealthPark (a medical-based fitness center), home health services, a wound healing center, the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center and the McAuley Clinic , which provides healthcare for the uninsured. OMHS also operates Western Kentucky Rheumatology Center and Pennyrile Pulmonary Critical Care, Owensboro; and MultiCare Tell City (IN) and MultiCare Madisonville (KY).
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Editor’s note: A full copy of the study is available at http://www.healthgrades.com or by contacting Scott Shapiro at sshapiro@healthgrades.com.