Recognition adds to recent hospital's growing accolade that recently
includes One of America’s 50 Best Hospitals
Los Angeles (June 25, 2007) – Good Samaritan Hospital has been recognized
with a five-star rating for clinical excellence in women’s health
services, based on a study issued by HealthGrades, the nation’s
leading independent healthcare ratings company. In the HealthGrades Fourth
Annual Report on Women’s Health Outcomes in U.S. Hospitals, Good
Samaritan Hospital ranks in the top ten percent in the nation for women’s
health services, which includes cardiac and stroke outcomes for women
as well as maternity care. Additionally, Good Samaritan Hospital received
a five-star rating for maternity care and is ranked among the top ten
percent of hospitals for maternity care services.
The HealthGrades study analyzed the outcomes of women admitted with heart
disease and stroke to more than 2,000 U.S. hospitals. The study found
that the risk-adjusted mortality rates for women improved, on average,
8.7 percent from 2003 through 2005, but that a wide disparity in quality
existed between the nation’s best and worst hospitals.
The best-performing hospitals, those rated with five stars, had an overall
risk-adjusted inhospital mortality rate that was 39 percent lower than
poor performing hospitals. If all of the hospitals studied (n=513) performed
at the level of the best-performing hospitals during 2003 through 2005,
15,925 deaths among women hospitalized for cardiovascular disease could
have been potentially prevented at these 513 hospitals.
“As cardiovascular physicians, we need to have the same level of
suspicion for heart attacks and strokes in women who present to our hospitals
as we do in men,” said Ali Gheissari, M.D., medical director of
Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital. “The Health
Grades study shows that Good Samaritan Hospital physicians have taken
the pioneering steps in treating women with heart disease and our outcomes
have shown the success of our approach.”
In recent years, public health campaigns aimed at raising awareness among
women about their risks of cardiovascular disease have impacted early
recognition of cardiovascular disease (CVD) symptoms and prompted women
to seek treatment earlier. Interventions targeted at reducing the risk
of late or no detection of CVD symptoms have likely contributed to the
mortality improvements found in the study, and they will no doubt continue
to improve outcomes for women in future years.
For its 2007/2008 ratings, HealthGrades independently analyzed the quality
of maternity care, as well as the cardiac and stroke outcomes for women,
at hospitals in the 19 states that publish outcomes data, objectively
assessing their clinical performance and quality. HealthGrades applied
the following rating system to all hospitals included in the analysis:
Five-star (Best) = Top 15 percent of all hospitals within 19 states
Three-star (Average) = Middle 70 percent of all hospitals within 19 states
One-star (Poor) = Bottom 15 percent of all hospitals within 19 states
The 2007/2008 HealthGrades ratings for maternity care are based on a programmatic
evaluation including complication rates for c-sections and vaginal deliveries,
delivery volume, and neonatal mortality. Women’s Health ratings
combine a hospital’s maternity care rating with clinical performance
in the treatment of stroke and cardiac services for women, including heart
surgery, heart attack, heart failure, and cardiac interventions. The complete
methodology can be found in the study posted on HealthGrades’ Web site.
“Each year, HealthGrades conducts the largest annual studies of hospital
quality in America,” explained Samantha Collier, HealthGrades’
Chief Medical Officer. “The fact is a close analysis of the data
shows that the quality of women’s health services varies widely
from hospital to hospital, so it’s important for individuals to
have this vital information as they evaluate hospitals.”
The complete maternity care and women’s health services ratings are
published, free of charge, on the HealthGrades Web site,
www.healthgrades.com. Ratings for 28 other medical procedures and diagnoses – including
cardiac, pulmonary, vascular, stroke, orthopedics, critical care, and
gastrointestinal services – are also available on the HealthGrades Web site.
About Good Samaritan Hospital
First opened in 1885, Good Samaritan Hospital is a 408-bed tertiary care
facility offering some of the most comprehensive care in Los Angeles.
Specializing in cardiac services, women’s services, orthopedics,
oncology, and retinal surgery, Good Samaritan Hospital offers Cardiology
and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Neurosciences program featuring the Gamma
Knife radiosurgery, Opthalmologic Program including Retinal Surgery, Orthopedic
Surgical Program including Sports Medicine, Oncology Program using the
latest in radiation therapy – IMRT and HDR, Kidney Stone services,
Transfusion-Free Medicine and Surgery Center, and Emergency Services.