St. Alexius Medical Center Recognized for Clinical Quality Excellence by National Study
Posted on 10/18/2005
Cardiac Services Cited in 8th Annual HealthGrades Study
St. Alexius Medical Center has received five-star ratings for clinical excellence in Cardiac Interventional Procedures, the Treatment of Heart Attack, Heart Failure and Atrial Fibrillation, Cardiology Services and Overall Cardiac Care according to a study released today by HealthGrades, the nation’s leading independent healthcare ratings company. This places St. Alexius Medical Center:
- Ranked #1 in North Dakota for Overall Cardiac Care
- Ranked #1 in North Dakota for Cardiac Surgical Services
- Ranked #1 in North Dakota for Cardiac Interventional Procedures
- Ranked #1 in North Dakota for Cardiology Services
- Ranked Among the Top 10% in the Nation for Overall Cardiac Care
- Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Cardiac Interventional Procedures
- Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Cardiology Services
“Quality patient care is our top priority,” says Richard Tschider, President/CEO of St. Alexius Medical Center. “Recognition from an objective, independent organization such as HealthGrades validates the efforts our physicians, nurses and staff deliver every day to the people of western North Dakota and parts of South Dakota and Montana.”
Shelly Martel, a patient in her mid-forties who suffered a heart attack two years ago, can attest to that quality of care. She describes her experience this way: “I got such good care in the ER…such good care,” says Martel. “Since I drove myself to the ER, I was by myself, and everyone took such good care of me. Dr. (Norm) Eshoo (cardiologist) happened to be in the ER seeing another patient when I arrived. He’s now my cardiologist. Everyone took really good care of me.”
As part of its eighth annual Hospital Quality in America Study, HealthGrades independently analyzed nearly 5,000 hospitals in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for its 2006 ratings, objectively assessing their clinical outcomes and quality. The data utilized in the assessment is licensed from the federal government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The HealthGrades ratings measure whether patient outcomes for each of more than two dozen procedures and diagnoses are better than expected (5-Star), as expected (3-Star) or worse than expected (1-Star).
“HealthGrades objectively rates hospitals’ performance to help consumers make better health care choices, and it’s clear that St. Alexius Medical Center provides outstanding cardiac care. The people in Bismarck and the surrounding counties should be secure knowing they have top-notch care in their own backyard,” said Samantha Collier, M.D., HealthGrades vice president of medical affairs.
The 2006 HealthGrades ratings for all hospitals nationwide are available, free of charge, on the web at www.healthgrades.com. More than two-and-a-half million unique users and 125 major employers visit the HealthGrades web site every month to access quality information about hospitals, nursing homes and physicians. HealthGrades also provides consumers and payers with detailed assessments of hospitals’ patient safety outcomes, based on indicators developed by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
About St. Alexius Medical Center
St. Alexius Medical Center, the oldest hospital in the Dakotas, established in 1885, has grown to be the largest medical center in western North Dakota, as well as a medical center renowned for its excellence and admired for its commitment to a mission based on the rule of St. Benedict to “Let All Be Received As Christ.”
St. Alexius Medical Center is a full-service 304-bed acute-care hospital accredited by The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations; the Trauma Section of the American College of Surgeons; The American College of Radiology; The Commissioner on Laboratory Accreditation of the College of American Pathologists and the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics. St. Alexius Medical Center houses Centers of Excellence in Orthopedics, Women’s Services, Cardiology, Behavioral Care, Emergency and Trauma, Neuroscience and Integrated Medicine.
Besides this very prestigious HealthGrades award, over the last few years St. Alexius has received many other quality and service awards such as the American Hospital Association’s NOVA Award (for exceptional community service); Top 100 Heart Hospital designation by Solucient® (also a healthcare-quality ratings organization); the Alliance for Healthcare e Healthcare’s “Best Internet Website” Award; the North Dakota Safety Council Award for Occupational Safety; the Percival Award (for its state of the art bar coding technology) and HealthGrades’ 2004 and 2005 Distinguished Hospital Award for Patient Safety.
About HealthGrades
HealthGrades (Nasdaq:HGRD) is the leading healthcare ratings company, providing ratings and profiles of hospitals, nursing homes and physicians to consumers, corporations, health plans and hospitals. Millions of consumers and hundreds of the nation’s largest employers, health plans and hospitals rely on HealthGrades’ independent ratings to make healthcare decisions based on the quality of care. More information on the company can be found at www.healthgrades.com.