NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Southcoast Hospitals ranks among the top 5 percent in the U.S. for overall cardiology services according to a national study released October 20 by HealthGrades, the nation’s leading independent health care ratings company. The report also named Southcoast as a recipient of two prestigious awards: the Cardiac Care Excellence Award™ and the Coronary Intervention Excellence Award™.

“Patients in the South Coast region who receive their cardiac care at a Southcoast hospital can rest assured they are receiving their care at one of the top heart hospitals in the U.S.,” said Keith A. Hovan, President of Southcoast Health System and President & CEO of Southcoast Hospitals Group. “The HealthGrades ranking is an outstanding achievement for our cardiac program and a testament to our physicians and health care providers who are saving lives every day. At the forefront of this ranking is our dedication to improving quality care and patient safety which is represented by the awards of Excellence and being among the top five percent for overall cardiac care in the U.S.”  

The release of the 13th Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study analyzes tens of millions of patients’ outcomes — specifically, mortality and complication rates — at the nation’s 5,000 hospitals.

2011 HealthGrades clinical achievements for Southcoast Hospitals are:

• Cardiac Care Excellence Award™ for 5 years in a row.
• Coronary Intervention Excellence Award™ for 4 years in a row. 
• Ranked Among the Top 5 percent in the U.S. for Cardiology Services.
• Ranked Among the Top 5 percent for Coronary Interventional Procedures.
• Ranked Among the Top 5 hospitals in Massachusetts for Overall Cardiac Services.
• Ranked Among the Top 5 hospitals in Massachusetts for Cardiology Services.
• Ranked Among the Top 5 hospitals in Massachusetts for Coronary Interventional Procedures.
• Five-Star Rated for Cardiology Services.
• Five-Star Rated for Coronary Interventional Procedures.
• Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Failure.

According to the study top-rated hospitals had a 53 percent lower mortality rate than the U.S. national average for 17 procedures and diagnoses ranging from bypass surgery to treatment for heart attack. When the top-rated hospitals were compared to the poorest performers, there was an even greater quality gap: a 72 percent lower risk of mortality.           

The new 2011 HealthGrades hospital ratings were posted today, and are free to the public, at www.healthgrades.com.

Heart disease is the No. 1 health problem locally and strikes South Coast residents more frequently than anywhere else in Massachusetts. Southcoast Hospitals Group, which includes Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham, ranks second in the entire state for the greatest number of cardiac medical discharges. Thirty-nine percent more people have heart attacks in the South Coast — and about two in five residents die from heart disease.

In fiscal year 2010, more than 15 percent of Southcoast's inpatient volume was attributed to heart-related diagnoses and nearly 24,500 outpatients received care related to the same.

Laurie Mulgrew, Vice President of Clinical Services for Cardiovascular Care & Imaging, said Southcoast’s heart program provides top-notch care in all areas, including diagnosis, medical treatment, interventional care and follow-up care such as cardiac rehabilitation.

“Southcoast’s heart program continues to provide well-coordinated, high-quality health care to all of our patients,” said Mulgrew. “The program’s success is credited to the highly skilled team of cardiologists and health care professionals at the three hospital sites. It is their dedication 24 hours, 7 days a week and the commitment by Southcoast to invest in the latest technology, equipment and state-of-the-art facilities that enables us to rank among the best in the country.”

Southcoast also recently announced that it has been ranked in the top 5 percent of all hospitals in the U.S. in patient safety by HealthGrades. Southcoast is one of just seven hospitals in Massachusetts and the only hospital in the South Coast region to receive the prestigious HealthGrades Patient Safety Excellence Award™ for 2010. Thirty-nine states have at least one award recipient. http://www.southcoast.org/news/releases/2010/100410.html

About HealthGrades Hospital Quality Ratings

HealthGrades’ hospital ratings and awards reflect the track record of patient outcomes at hospitals in the form of mortality and complication rates. HealthGrades rates hospitals independently based on data that hospitals submit to the federal government. No hospital can opt in or out of being rated, and no hospital pays to be rated.

For 26 procedures and treatments, HealthGrades issues star ratings that reflect the mortality and complication rates for each category of care. Hospitals receiving a 5-star rating have mortality or complication rates that are below the national average, to a statistically significant degree. A 3-star rating means the hospital performs as expected. One-star ratings indicate the hospital’s mortality or complication rates in that procedure or treatment are statistically higher than average. Because the risk profiles of patient populations at hospitals are not alike, HealthGrades risk-adjusts the data to allow for equal comparisons.

In a recent survey of visitors to HealthGrades.com related to hospital quality, 94 percent ranked quality outcomes and ratings as very important compared to reputation (89 percent), volume (78 percent), and location (58 percent). 

More information on today’s HealthGrades study, including the complete methodology, can be found at www.healthgrades.com.

About Southcoast Health System & Southcoast Hospitals Group

Southcoast Health System is a community based health delivery system with multiple access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes the three hospitals that make up Southcoast Hospitals Group — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.

Southcoast provides advanced clinical services, such as open heart surgery, angioplasty and heart rhythm services, comprehensive cancer care, neurosurgery, weight loss surgery, orthopedic surgery and advanced imaging services. Southcoast is a not-for-profit charitable organization that depends on the support of the community to provide services.

More information is available online at www.southcoast.org.  Connect to Southcoast at www.southcoast.org/connect/