Dignity Health St. Mary Medical Center Earns Patient Safety Award for Fourth Consecutive Year

Dignity Health St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach, Calif. was awarded a fourth consecutive Healthgrades 2015 Patient Safety Excellence Award™, recognizing the hospital’s efforts to avert serious, potentially preventable complications during hospital stays. The distinction places St. Mary Medical Center among the top 10 percent of hospitals in the nation for its performance as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals.

Patients treated in hospitals receiving Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average:
• 43.9 percent less likely to experience an accidental puncture or laceration during a procedure, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals;
• 53.6 percent 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;
• 47.4 percent less likely to experience catheter-related blood stream infections, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals; and
• 43.8 percent less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals

“We appreciate that Healthgrades has once again recognized the quality efforts of physicians and staff at St. Mary Medical Center, where patients are cared for in an environment centered around their safety and comfort,” says president/CEO Joel Yuhas. “We use evidence-based practice protocols to ensure that each individual patient receives appropriate care in the hospital and adequate preparation for going home.”

“We commend all recipients of the Healthgrades 2015 Outstanding Patient Safety Excellence Award. This achievement reflects an organization-wide commitment to delivering high-quality care and to protecting patients from potentially preventable complications,” says Evan Marks, chief strategy officer at Healthgrades.

During the study period (2011-2013), Healthgrades 2015 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient hospitals performed with excellence in providing safety for patients in the Medicare population, as measured by objective outcomes (risk-adjusted patient safety indicator rates) for 13 patient safety indicators defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Source: Dignity Health St. Mary Medical Center