St. Mary’s Health Care System announced today that it has achieved Healthgrades’ Patient Safety Excellence Award for the fourth year in a row. Healthgrades is the nation’s leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals.

The 2014 patient safety distinction places St. Mary’s within the top 5 percent of hospitals in America for its performance in safeguarding patients from serious, potentially preventable complications during their hospital stays. 

“We are honored that St. Mary’s ranks among the top hospitals in Georgia and the nation for patient safety,” said Don McKenna, St. Mary’s President and CEO. “We are extremely proud of the work of our medical staff, clinical staff and entire health care team to ensure that our patients receive safe, high-quality care. Because we know there is always room for improvement, our efforts to ensure patient safety are designed to continually grow and evolve.” 

“Healthgrades is dedicated to providing quality information that helps consumers make decisions based on objective data leading to the best care for themselves and their families,” said Evan Marks, Executive Vice President, Informatics and Strategy, Healthgrades. “Consumers can rest assured that a hospital recognized with a Healthgrades 2014 Patient Safety Excellence Award has demonstrated an established commitment to patient safety.” 

During the 2014 study period (2010-2012), Patient Safety Excellence Award hospitals showed better than expected performance in providing safety for patients in the Medicare population, as measured by objective outcomes (risk-adjusted patient safety indicator rates) across 13 of the 14 patient safety indicators defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). 

St. Mary’s has implemented numerous programs and best practices to enhance patient safety, including:

• Medication reconciliation – St. Mary’s uses a computer-based system to screen for drug errors, duplications and interactions while ensuring each patient gets the right dose of the right medication at the right time.
• Infection prevention – St. Mary’s uses numerous initiatives to successfully reduce healthcare-acquired conditions such as catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line associated bloodstream infections and ventilator-associated pneumonia.
• Fall prevention – St. Mary’s has implemented a program for moving patients more safely. SMART Moves uses specialized lift equipment to protect patients from falls and reduce the risk of staff injuries.
• UV light disinfection – St. Mary’s earlier this year acquired the Clorox OptimumUV system to better disinfect surgical suites and patient rooms. Combined with standard cleaning procedures, the system’s powerful ultraviolet light kills 99.9 percent of germs – even those that are resistant to drugs and chemical controls.

For more information about Healthgrades, to download a full copy of the report, or to receive information about hospital and physician quality, visit: www.Healthgrades.com/quality.