Palms of Pasadena 5-Star Rated in Joint Replacement and Total Knee Replacement for the Fifth Consecutive Year (2004-2008)

December 2007 - Since his total hip replacement at Palms of Pasadena Hospital in October 2007, debilitating pain, limping and discomfort are only memories for 77-year-old Herb
Gersh, M.D. What’s more, this retired general surgeon enjoys an active lifestyle again, including his favorite sport of tennis several day a week.

According to the Tenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study, Palms of Pasadena is 5-star rated in Joint Replacement and Total Knee Replacement for the second year in a row. The study, the largest of its kind, analyzed patient outcomes at virtually all of the nation's 5,000 hospitals over the years 2004, 2005 and 2006. The study also found Palms of Pasadena is Best in the St. Petersburg Region (as defined by HealthGrades) in 2008 for:

• Total Knee Replacement
• Overall Orthopedics
• Joint Replacement
• Spinal Surgery

“I would strongly recommend Palms of Pasadena to everyone who needs joint replacement,” said Dr. Gersh. “I spent two nights in the hospital, where I was treated very well. The follow-up was excellent; they kept a close watch on my incisions and even called to check on me after I was home.”

“The significance of returning a patient to a healthy, active lifestyle can not be over estimated, says Brian Flynn, CEO of Palms of Pasadena Hospital. We are proud of our HealthGrades designation and our orthopedic surgeons. Our entire surgical team contributes to our excellent outcomes.”

The Tenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study identifies key trends in the quality of care provided by approximately 5,000 hospitals nationwide. HealthGrades researchers analyzed Medicare discharges from virtually every U.S. hospital between 2004 and 2006. Risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates were calculated and hospitals were assigned a 1-star (poor), 3-star (as expected), or 5-star (best) quality rating for 28 diagnoses and procedures from heart failure to hip replacement to pneumonia.

“Our research shows that while the overall quality of hospital care in America is improving, the gap between the best-performing hospitals and the worst persists,” said Dr. Samantha Collier, HealthGrades’ chief medical officer and author of the study. “This persistent gap makes it imperative that anyone planning to be admitted to a hospital do their homework and seek out highly rated facilities.” Based on the study, HealthGrades makes available its 2008 quality ratings for virtually every hospital in the country at www.healthgrades.com, a Web site designed to help individuals research and compare local healthcare providers.

Among the study’s key findings:

• Gaps persist between the “best” and the “worst” hospitals across all procedures and conditions studied. Five-star rated hospitals, had statistically significantly lower risk-adjusted mortality across all three years studied.
• Across all procedures and conditions studied, there was an approximate 71 percent lower chance of dying in a 5-star rated hospital compared to a 1-star rated hospital.
• Across all procedures and conditions studied, there was an approximate 52 percent lower chance of dying in a 5-star rated hospital compared to the U.S. hospital average.

The 2008 HealthGrades ratings for all hospitals nationwide are available, free of charge, on the organization’s award-winning consumer Web site, located at www.healthgrades.com. More than three million individuals and employees of some of the nation’s largest employers and health plans visit HealthGrades each month to access quality information about hospitals, nursing homes and physicians. HealthGrades also provides consumers and payers with detailed assessments of hospitals’ patient-safety outcomes, based on indicators developed by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.