Adventist Medical Center is Recognized in the Top 5% of Hospitals Nationally for Patient Safety

Effective communication between patient and caregivers results in more lives saved.

PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Adventist Medical Center (AMC) is the recipient of the 2012 HealthGrades Patient Safety Excellence Award™, indicating that its patient safety ratings are in the top 5% of U.S. hospitals. The Portland hospital credits this distinction to the efforts it has been implementing to enhance communication between patients and their caregivers.

The study finds that Medicare patients at Patient Safety Excellence Award hospitals, such as AMC were almost 48% less likely to experience one of 13 preventable safety events compared to hospitals in the bottom 5% in the nation. If all hospitals performed at this level, HealthGrades, the nation's most trusted source of health care provider information, estimated that 254,000 patient safety incidents and 56,367 deaths among Medicare patients could have been avoided throughout the country.  In a new study released by HealthGrades, AMC was listed as one of just 5 hospitals in Oregon to receive the prestigious HealthGrades Patient Safety Excellence Award.

"Adventist Medical Center has been focused on doing what's best for the patient," states Tom Russell, President and CEO of Adventist Medical Center. "We've empowered every employee to identify ways of improving communication and help implement protocols designed to ensure a positive patient experience. Our physicians, nurses and entire team have been partnering with patients and their families to ensure that patients receive the right care at the right time," continues Russell. 

HealthGrades found that hospitals with the highest ratings on nursing and physician communication had better track records with lower rates of the 13 patient safety indicators. The hospital has been creating a culture of safety through many ways including conducting hourly rounding on each patient, developing consistent communication links between healthcare providers, improving communication links between professions and implementing protocols to make surgery safer.

About Adventist Medical Center (AMC)

Adventist Medical Center (AMC), located in southeast Portland, is a nonprofit, 302-bed acute care facility, offering a full range of inpatient, outpatient and emergency services throughout the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area. The hospital is one of only 3 accredited chest pain centers in Oregon.  It is home to Adventist Health-Portland which includes more than 30 primary care and specialty clinics in the metro area. 

Adventist Medical Center is part of Adventist Health, a faith-based, not-for-profit integrated health care delivery system with nearly 21,000 employees serving communities in California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. Founded on Seventh-day Adventist health values, Adventist Health provides compassionate care in 18 hospitals, more than 135 clinics (rural health and physician clinics), 14 home care agencies and four joint-venture retirement centers. We invite you to visit AdventistHealth.org for more information.

About HealthGrades

HealthGrades, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, is a leading provider of comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. More than 200 million consumers use the HealthGrades websites, including HealthGrades.com and BetterMedicine.com, to research, select, and connect with a physician or hospital, and use its comprehensive information about clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, patient safety, and health conditions to make more informed healthcare decisions and take action.

Media Contacts:
Judy Leach, Director
Adventist Health
(503) 251-6162
leachjl@ah.org

SOURCE Adventist Medical Center