HCA Central and West Texas Division Named Among Top 15 Health Systems in the Country by Thomson Reuters

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, HCA Central and West Texas Division, including Central Texas-based St. David's HealthCare and El Paso-based Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare, was named among the nation's 15 top U.S. health systems by Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of healthcare. The award recognizes hospital systems that have achieved excellence in clinical outcomes, patient safety, patient satisfaction and operational efficiency, based on balanced system-wide clinical performance.

Selected from more than 300 healthcare systems across the nation, HCA Central and West Texas Division was one of only two health systems in Texas to receive this ranking. The Thomson Reuters "15 Top Health Systems" study singled out 15 hospital systems that achieved superior clinical outcomes based on a composite score of eight measures of quality, patient perception of care and efficiency.

"We are pleased that our commitment to high-quality care is receiving national attention from such an esteemed organization as Thomson Reuters," David Huffstutler, president of HCA Central and West Texas Division, said. "The dedication of our doctors, nurses and staff to providing exceptional care to every patient every day has helped establish our system's reputation as a national center of excellence."

The following were among the key findings in the study:

Lower 30-Day Mortality Rates: 15 Top Health Systems held post-discharge 30-day mortality rates steady, while peer health systems demonstrated a significant increase in post-discharge mortality.

Better Survival Rates: Winning hospitals had 17 percent fewer deaths than expected considering patient severity, while non-winning hospitals had 4 percent more deaths than expected.

Fewer Complications: Patients of the winning health systems had 19 percent fewer complications.

Shorter Hospital Stays: Patients treated in the winning system hospitals have a median average length of stay of 4.7 days, nearly half a day shorter than their peers' median of 5.1 days.

Better Patient Safety and Core Measure Adherence: Top health systems had 23 percent fewer adverse patient safety events than expected and had better adherence to core measures of care than their peers.

U.S. health systems with two or more short-term, general, non-federal hospitals; cardiac and orthopedic hospitals; and critical access hospitals were assessed in the study. Researchers looked at eight metrics that gauge clinical quality and efficiency: mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average length of stay, 30-day mortality rate, 30-day readmission rate, adherence to clinical standards of care (evidence-based core measures published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), and HCAHPS patient survey score (part of a national initiative sponsored by the United States Department of Health and Human Services to measure the quality of care in hospitals).

The study relied on public data from the 2010 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review data and the CMS Hospital Compare data sets.

Researchers from the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals program have analyzed and reported on the performance of individual hospitals since 1993.

Please visit www.thomsonreuters.com for more information on the award and a full list of winners.

St. David's HealthCare
With more than 60 sites across Central Texas, St. David's HealthCare includes seven of the area's leading hospitals and is one of the largest health systems in Texas. Known for compassionate, high-quality care, the organization has been recognized with the Texas Award for Performance Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the State of Texas based upon world-class quality measures. Ranked as one of the Top Workplaces in 2010 by the Austin American-Statesman—as well as the top Austin-area employer among large companies at the Austin Business Journal's annual "Best Places to Work" event in 2007, 2008 and 2009—St. David's HealthCare is the third-largest private employer in the Austin area, with more than 7,100 employees. For more information, please visit StDavids.com.

Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare
Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare is the leading healthcare provider for El Paso and the surrounding region, with physicians, nurses and staff who are committed to delivering the highest quality patient care available. The system's full-service hospitals offer comprehensive medical services in nearly every specialty and include certified Chest Pain Emergency Centers, accredited Centers of Excellence for Breast Imaging and Bariatric surgery, and maternity services that are rated in the top five percent nationwide by HealthGrades®. As part of HCA, the largest hospital chain in the world, Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare brings unsurpassed healthcare resources to El Paso residents through a network of Centers of Excellence in fields such as pediatrics, cardiology, neuroscience and organ transplant. For more information, please visit LasPalmasDelSolHealthcare.com.

Media Contacts:
Levente Smith or Kristin Marcum
Elizabeth Christian & Associates Public Relations
512.472.9599

SOURCE St. David's HealthCare; Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare