Four LewisGale Hospitals Achieve Healthgrades 2019 Patient Safety Excellence AwardTM
Hospitals rank in the top 10% in the nation for patient safety
Salem – LewisGale Regional Health System announced today that its four Southwest Virginia hospitals are recipients of the Healthgrades 2019 Patient Safety Excellence AwardTM. This distinction places LewisGale hospitals among the top 10 percent of all short-term acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for information about physicians and hospitals.
“This achievement recognizes our Health System’s medical professionals, their dedication, and their choice of healthcare as a profession because they want to make a significant difference in people’s lives,” explains Dr. Steven Pasternak, an ER physician and chief of staff, LewisGale Medical Center.
During the study period (2015 to 2017), Healthgrades 2019 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient hospitals demonstrated excellent performance in safety provided for patients in the Medicare population, as measured by objective outcomes (risk-adjusted patient safety indicator rates) for 14 patient safety indicators defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
“The LewisGale name has long been synonymous with the highest levels of quality and compassionate patient care,” says Robert Archer, board chair at LewisGale Medical Center and president of Blue Ridge Beverage Company, Inc. “This recognition by Healthgrades is further evidence of the positive, lasting impact the LewisGale Regional Health System makes in our communities and in patients’ lives daily.”
Healthgrades found that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Patient Safety Excellence Award were, as compared to patients at non-recipients hospitals, on average*:
- 55.9% less likely to experience an accidental cut, puncture, perforation or hemorrhage during medical care.
- 50.9% less likely to experience a collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest.
- 64.4% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital.
- 57% less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired at the hospital.
In addition, if all hospitals in the country performed at the level of award recipients for each of the 14 Patient Safety Indicators, 127,667 patient safety events could have been avoided.*
“Proven excellence in healthcare doesn’t occur overnight,” explains Lance Jones, LewisGale chief executive officer and market president. “It takes the right tools and a community of experienced healthcare experts committed to the care and improvement of human life. We are grateful for the recognition that our medical staff and associates are continually working to ensure patient safety and to deliver the highest level of quality, compassionate patient care.”
“We are proud to recognize the recipients of the 2019 Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award, which shines a spotlight on the hospitals that are preventing the occurrence of serious, potentially avoidable complications, for patients during their hospital stay,” said Brad Bowman, MD, chief medical officer, Healthgrades. “We applaud these hospitals and their commitment to providing the best possible care for every patient.”
About LewisGale Regional Health System
LewisGale Regional Health System’s 44 HCA-owned patient care facilities include 4 hospitals, 1 standalone ER, 2 regional cancer centers and affiliations with both employed and independent physicians. With 3,000 employees, its annual payroll is $236 million. The system also paid $32 million in taxes and provided more than $82 million in uncompensated care to those most in need in 2017 alone. LewisGale is also part of HCA Virginia, the largest and most comprehensive healthcare provider in the Commonwealth with nearly 15,000 employees. For more information, see www.lewisgale.com
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 5e and 2018) to MedPAR data for years 2015 through 2017 and represent 3-year estimates for Medicare patients only.