HUMC Press Releases

HACKENSACK, N.J. (January 26, 2010) – Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) is the only healthcare facility in New Jersey ranked among the top five percent nationally for quality eight years in a row, according to a new study issued today by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. Due to the hospital’s continued high quality patient care, it has been named a HealthGrades 2010 Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence™. HUMC is the only hospital in the state to receive the award every year since its inception eight years ago. The comprehensive study analyzed 40 million hospitalization records from 5,000 hospitals over the years 2006 to 2008.

Hospitals like HUMC, that are ranked in the top 5% in the nation by the eighth annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence study had, as a group, better patient outcomes and were improving their outcomes at a faster rate than all nonfederal other hospitals.

“As discussions in Washington continue, a transition away from the pay-for-procedure model to a quality and value based model is currently underway at hospitals throughout the nation,” said Robert C. Garrett, president and chief executive officer of HUMC. “This paradigm shift is being driven by consumers, doctors, payers (including government programs and private insurers) and by hospitals themselves. The concept of value-based purchasing of healthcare is that buyers should hold providers of healthcare accountable for both the cost and quality of care. Hospitals that provide high quality healthcare, measured by patient outcomes and patient satisfaction, are being recognized as high-value facilities. Our recognition as a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence is an important component in our quality journey and these results continue to guide us in our decision-making,” he said.

It has become an industry standard to evaluate and compare the quality of care at hospitals in terms of patient outcomes, the mortality and complication rates that patients experience at each hospital compared with all other hospitals.

Risk-adjusted mortality rates at Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence were 29% lower when compared to the other 95% of hospitals. Inhospital complication rates were 9% lower. In addition, these hospitals improved their mortality rates by an average of 14%, while the other 95% of hospitals improved by an average of 10%. Only 269 hospitals across the nation are 2010 Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence.

“Our data show that only a select few hospitals achieve high-quality patient outcomes not just in a few categories of care, but across the board and over time,” said Rick May, MD, a vice president with HealthGrades and an author of the study. “Patients in communities with a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence should feel proud of the hospital’s accomplishments, and confident that the level of care there is among the very best in the nation.”

Last fall, HUMC received recognition from HealthGrades in the following clinical specialty areas:

Cardiac Care Excellence Award™ for the sixth year in row
Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award™ for the fifth year in a row
Joint Replacement Excellence Award™ for the second year in a row
Stroke Care Excellence Award™ for the fourth year in a row
Gastrointestinal Care Excellence Award™ for the sixth year in a row
Gastrointestinal Surgery Award™ for the second year in a row
Critical Care Excellence Award™
General Surgery Excellence Award™ for the third year in a row

In addition, HUMC has been one of America’s 50 Best hospitals and ranked among the top one percent nationally for overall clinical excellence for the past three years (2007 - 2009) according to HealthGrades.

Methodology
This is the eighth year that HealthGrades has independently analyzed the clinical quality performance of all non-federal hospitals across the country in 26 procedures and diagnoses. In the study, the company reviewed approximately 40 million hospitalization records from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over the years 2006, 2007 and 2008. All hospitals that participate in the Medicare program were part of the independent study. Hospitals that receive the HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence are those hospitals that rank in the top 5% when all 26 individual scores are aggregated into an overall score.

About Hackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack University Medical Center is a nationally recognized healthcare organization offering patients the most comprehensive services, state-of-the art technologies, and facilities. A leader in providing the highest quality patient-centered care, the medical center has been recognized for performance excellence encompassing the entire spectrum of hospital quality and service issues. For the most up-to-date information on HUMC, please visit us on Facebook.