New York, NY—October 18, 2016
Recognition that transparency about the quality of health care is crucial to drive improvement is seen in a growing body of consumer education, care ratings and patient reviews. Today, Healthgrades furthers this dialogue with its 2017 Report to the Nation, recognizing Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) with several distinctions in musculoskeletal care and continuing with its mission to educate consumers on the importance of conducting research before choosing a doctor or hospital for care.
This year, as in previous years, Healthgrades independently analyzed nearly 5,000 hospitals nationwide for 34 of the most common inpatient procedures and conditions. HSS has once again achieved 5-star quality ratings in the categories of total hip replacement, back and neck surgery, and spinal fusion surgery, and was named one of Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Spine Surgery for the third consecutive year.
"We are proud that HSS Spine has been recognized for its strong clinical outcomes with both the quality star ratings and its place in the 100 Best Hospitals for Spine Surgery," said Dr. Todd J. Albert, surgeon-in-chief and medical director of HSS. "The most discerning consumers and talented specialists have established HSS as a world center of excellence for spine care."
"As the hospital that performs the most hip surgeries in the nation, we are held to a high standard and are pleased to receive the 5-star rating for total hip replacements for the 10th straight year," added Dr. Albert.
A 5-star rating indicates that HSS’ clinical outcomes are statistically significantly better than expected when treating the condition or performing the procedure being evaluated.
"As healthcare value becomes better understood by the public, it is imperative to empower patients to make the right healthcare decision and ratings are an important tool in this process," said Louis A. Shapiro, president and CEO of HSS. "HSS is focused on providing the highest quality of care available and consistent top ratings validate our commitment to an excellent patient experience."
"Additionally, we are pleased to be one of four hospitals in the country that are profiled in the 2017 Report to the Nation," added Mr. Shapiro.
Further distinctions include:
"The Healthgrades 2017 Report to the Nation reveals striking disparities in the quality observed among the Nation’s hospitals, and underscores why it is vital for consumers to understand outcomes performance at specific hospitals for specific conditions and procedures," said Evan Marks, Chief Strategy Officer for Healthgrades. "A given community may have many hospitals, but only a precious few may provide better-than-expected outcomes for the specific care a patient needs. Those hospitals that have achieved the Healthgrades 100 Best for Spine Surgery distinction have demonstrated a commitment to exceptional quality of care."
For its analysis, Healthgrades evaluated approximately 45 million Medicare inpatient records for nearly 4,500 short-term acute care hospitals nationwide, assessing hospital performance relative to each of 32 common conditions and procedures, as well as an evaluation of comparative outcomes in appendectomy and bariatric surgery using all-payer data provided by 18 states. Healthgrades recognizes a hospital’s quality achievements for cohort-specific performance, specialty area performance, and overall clinical quality. Individual procedure or condition cohorts are designated as 5 star (statistically significantly better than expected), 3 star (not statistically different from expected), and 1 star (statistically significantly worse than expected) categories. The complete Healthgrades 2017 Report to the Nation with detailed cohort-specific outcomes data, hospital-specific quality achievements, and detailed study methodology, can be found at www.healthgrades.com/quality.
About HSS | Hospital for Special Surgery
HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics for 14 years in a row and No. 2 in rheumatology by U.S.News & World Report (2023-2024). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has one of the lowest infection rates in the country and was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center four consecutive times. The global standard total knee replacement was developed at HSS in 1969. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State. In addition, HSS opened a new facility in Florida in early 2020. In 2019, HSS provided care to 151,000 patients and performed more than 35,000 surgical procedures, and people from all 50 U.S. states and 89 countries travelled to receive care at HSS. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 translational research laboratories, 33 scientists, 10 clinician-scientists, 55 clinical investigators and 245 scientific support staff that drive the HSS research enterprise in the musculoskeletal “ecosystem,” neurology, pain management and rheumatic diseases. The HSS Innovation Institute was formed in 2016 to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is the world’s leading provider of education on musculoskeletal health, with its online learning platform offering more than 300 courses to more than 30,000 medical professional members worldwide. Through HSS Global Ventures, the institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally.
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