Alvarado Hospital among Best for Orthopedic Surgery, Spine Surgery and Critical Care, According to Healthgrades

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Alvarado Hospital announced today it has been recognized again by Healthgrades as one of 2016 America's 100 Best™ hospitals for orthopedic surgery, spine surgery and critical care. This puts Alvarado in the top 5% in the nation for overall orthopedic services and spine surgery for two years in a row (2014-2015), and critical care for three years in a row (2014-2016).

Alvarado Hospital also garnered five stars two years in a row from Healthgrades for treatment of hip fracture (2014-2016), back surgery (2014-2016) and spinal fusion (2014-2016). In the area of gastrointestinal treatment, Alvarado earned five stars for esophageal/stomach surgeries for two years in a row (2015-2016) and gallbladder removal surgery for three years in a row (2014-2016). The hospital also is a five-star recipient for the critical care treatment of sepsis for three years in a row (2014-2016).

Each year, Healthgrades evaluates hospital performances at more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide for 33 of the most common inpatient procedures and conditions. A five-star rating indicates clinical outcomes at Alvarado Hospital are statistically better than expected when treating the condition or conducting the procedure being evaluated. For example, from 2012 through 2014, if all hospitals as a group, performed similarly to hospitals receiving five stars as a group, on average 222,392 lives could potentially have been saved and 166,086 complications could potentially have been avoided.

"Consumers can take comfort in knowing that an outside agency—such as Healthgrades, which is a leading resource in compiling and reporting on hospital outcomes nationwide—has evaluated our quality of care and found it to be among the best in the nation," said Robin Gomez, Alvarado Hospital administrator.

"We continue to attract some of the most respected physicians in the region and their expertise is making a difference in our patients' outcomes; consumers should take into consideration these highlyrated hospitals when making a decision on where to seek care," she added.

For its analysis, Healthgrades evaluated approximately 40 million Medicare inpatient records for nearly 4,500 short-term acute care hospitals nationwide. It assessed hospital performance and patient outcomes for 33 common conditions and procedures, then identified the 100 best-performing hospitals within specific service lines. Statistics are based on Healthgrades' analysis of MedPAR data for years 2012 through 2014 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only.

The findings were released today online in Healthgrades' "2016 Report to the Nation." The complete report with detailed cohort-specific outcomes data, hospital-specific quality achievements, and detailed study methodology, can be found at www.healthgrades.com/quality.

SOURCE Alvarado Hospital