MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital has achieved Healthgrades 2013 Patient Safety Excellence Award™, according to Healthgrades, the leading online resource that helps consumers search, evaluate, compare and connect with physicians and hospitals.  The distinction places MedStar St. Mary’s within the top 10% of all hospitals for its excellent performance in safeguarding patients from serious, potentially preventable complications during their hospital stays. 

When compared to hospitals performing in the bottom 5% for patient safety, Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award™ recipients had three patient safety indicators showing the largest difference in observed to expected ratios. On average, patients treated in Patient Safety Excellence Award hospitals were also:

  • 81% less likely to experience hip fracture following surgery compared to hospitals ranked in the bottom 5% in the nation

  • 80% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital compared to hospitals ranked in the bottom 5% in the nation1

  • 70% less likely to experience a catheter-related bloodstream Infection acquired in the hospital compared to hospitals ranked in the bottom 5% in the nation1

“We are honored to receive this recognition from Healthgrades,” said Stephen Michaels, MD, vice president, Medical Affairs, MedStar St. Mary’s. “Not only do our physicians and associates make patient safety their top priority, but we are continuing to introduce technologies in our ongoing commitment to improve patient safety,” Michaels added. “For example, associates now gain access to the new Pyxis 4000 system for medications through a BioID fingerprint identification system. This not only protects our associates, but is adding a whole new layer of safety for our patients.”

“Healthgrades report highlights the variation in hospital quality, both locally and across the nation, in order to show consumers that spending time on understanding hospital performance can be a matter of life and death,” said Evan Marks, EVP Informatics and Strategy, Healthgrades. “Consumers can be assured that a hospital that has been recognized with a Healthgrades 2013 Patient Safety Excellence Award has demonstrated an established commitment to patient safety.”

During the 2013 study period (2009-2011), Patient Safety Excellence Award hospitals showed better than expected performance in providing safety for patients in the Medicare population, as measured by objective outcomes (risk-adjusted patient safety indicator rates) across 13 of the 14 most common patient safety indicators, as defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

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