Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Austin's Got Tacos, Music, and One of the Top 100 Hospitals in Nation


St. David's Medical Center Advanced Neurological Systems. Photo from St. David's Flickr photostream
If you live in Austin, you already know about its infamous breakfast tacos, according to a New York Times article, and the great music scene that dubbed this central Texas city the live music capitol of the world.  But did you know Austin is also home to one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals?

That's an important distinction because anyone knows if you get sick, you want a good hospital around.  The honor recognized St. David's Medical Center for excellence in clinical outcomes, patient safety, patient satisfaction, financial performance and operational efficiency.

“We are honored to have been chosen as one of the top hospitals in the nation,” C. David Huffstutler, chief executive officer of St. David’s Medical Center, said.  “St. David’s Medical Center has grown into a regional center of excellence for the treatment of complex conditions related to a wide range of specialties, attracting patients from all over the state of Texas and even around the globe.  This honor is a testament to the work of our team of physicians and employees who provide state-of-the-art care for patients in our community and beyond.”

The study looked at 3,000 health care facilities, evaluating nine categories that included mortality, medical complications, safety of patients, average length of stay, and following standards of care.  The winning hospitals will be announced in the March 30 edition of Modern Healthcare magazine.

“The 100 Top Hospitals winners raised the bar again this year, delivering a higher level of reliable care and greater value for their communities,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals programs at Thomson Reuters, who named the Top 100 hospitals.

According to Thomson Reuters, if all Medicare inpatients received the same level of care as Medicare patients treated in the winning hospitals:

    •    More than 107,500 additional patients would survive each year.
    •    Nearly 132,000 patient complications would be avoided annually.
    •    Expenses would decline by $5.9 billion a year.
    •    The average patient stay would decrease by nearly half a day.

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