Firelands awarded Five-Star, America’s 100 Best for orthopedic and spine surgery
By MEREDITH EATON
Firelands Regional Medical Center
SANDUSKY – Firelands Regional Medical Center is 5-star rated and among America’s 100 Best Hospitals for orthopedic and spine surgery outcomes according to a study released by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. This achievement is part of new findings and data featured in the Healthgrades 2019 Report to the Nation. The new report demonstrates how clinical performance continues to differ dramatically between hospitals regionally and nationally. Every year, Healthgrades evaluates hospital performance at almost 4,500 hospitals nationwide for 32 of the most common inpatient procedures and conditions, as well as tracking outcomes in appendectomy and bariatric surgery using all-payer data provided by 15 states and the District of Columbia.
Variation in care has a significant impact on health outcomes. For example, from 2015 through 2017, if all hospitals as a group performed similarly to hospitals receiving 5 stars as a group, then on average 222,210 lives could potentially have been saved and 157,210 in-hospital complications could potentially have been avoided. A 5-star rating indicates that Firelands Regional Medical Center’s clinical outcomes are statistically significantly better than expected when treating the condition or performing the procedure being evaluated.
Firelands Regional Medical Center was also recognized by Healthgrades for the following achievements:
One of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery for 3 Years in a Row (2017-2019) One of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Spine Surgery for 7 Years in a Row (2013-2019) Five-Star Recipient for Hip Fracture Treatment for 10 Years in a Row (2010-2019) Five-Star Recipient for Spinal Fusion Surgery for 14 Years in a Row (2006-2019 “Clinical quality varies significantly between hospitals, so it’s important for consumers to use information about outcomes to assess where to receive care,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Healthgrades. “This 5-star rating for orthopedic and spine surgery showcases the expertise and commitment of Firelands Regional Medical Center to their patients.”
For its analysis, Healthgrades evaluated approximately 45 million Medicare inpatient records for almost 4,500 short-term acute care hospitals nationwide to assess hospital performance in 32 common conditions and procedures, and evaluated outcomes in appendectomy and bariatric surgery using all-payer data provided by 15 states and the District of Columbia. 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 2019 Report to the Nation and detailed study methodology can be found at healthgrades.com/quality/.
Meredith Eaton is marketing and communications specialist for Firelands Regional Medical Center, 1111 Hayes Ave., Sandusky, 419-557-7884, firelands.com.
