Washington Hospital Healthcare System Achieves Healthgrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence for Fourth Consecutive Year

• Hospital among top 5 percent of hospitals in nation for clinical outcomes
• “This is a wonderful tribute to our extraordinary care teams,” said Nancy Farber, chief executive officer

Fremont, CA (March 1, 2017) - Washington Hospital Healthcare System announced that it has received the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ for a fourth consecutive year (2014-2017) from Healthgrades®, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals.

“This is a great honor,” said Nancy Farber, chief executive officer of the 341-bed acute care hospital in Fremont, Calif. “It’s a distinction that places us in the top 5 percent for clinical excellence among more than 4500 hospitals nationwide, and it reflects an amazing and sustained effort by our staff.”

“Consumers are doing their research when it comes to selecting the hospital where they receive their care, and high marks in quality are a valuable differentiator that can set organizations like Washington Hospital apart,” said Brad Bowman, MD, chief medical officer, Healthgrades. “We commend hospitals that have achieved this award for demonstrating an unwavering commitment to high-quality care for their patients.”

Receiving the honor for four consecutive years is the result of “a phenomenal commitment to outcomes by everyone at our hospital,” Farber added. She also noted several hospital-wide initiatives that are leading the way in quality, safety and patient care.

• The shared commitment by all staff to a Patient First Ethic, which ensures that decisions made and actions taken are always based on what is in the best interest of the patient
• Implementation of technologies to reduce readmissions of patients at higher risk of returning to the hospital after discharge
• Rollout of a Joint Commission evidence-based method of improving hand-hygiene compliance and reducing hospital-associated infections
• Ongoing advancements in using barcodes to safely administer medications
• Implementation of programs that reduce the risk of patient falls
• A commitment to Lean management principles to improve care delivery, reduce costs, and provide the best possible patient outcomes

What the award means: saving lives

From 2013 through 2015, patients treated in hospitals receiving Healthgrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence had, on average, a 26.2 percent lower risk of dying (across 19 procedures and conditions where mortality is the clinical outcome), than if they were treated in hospitals that did not achieve this distinction. During this same period, if all other hospitals performed at the level of Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence across these 19 procedures and conditions, 160,322 lives could potentially have been saved. For example, patients treated at a hospital that achieved the Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award had, on average, a 25 percent lower risk of dying from a stroke than if treated at a hospital that did not achieve this distinction.

Other Healthgrades honors for the Hospital

Washington Hospital Healthcare System has received many other awards from Healthgrades. For instance, Washington Hospital is one of only three hospitals in the San Francisco Bay Area¹ to receive the Healthgrades General Surgery Excellence Award for four consecutive years (2014-2017). Other Healthgrades honors for the Hospital have recognized programs in joint replacement, gastrointestinal care, heart attacks, stomach surgeries, women’s health and more. A full list is at http://www.whhs.com/About/Awards.aspx.

“Our Hospital and community are thrilled by the continuing Healthgrades recognition,” said Farber, “and we will never take it for granted. Every day, our doctors, nurses and staff show an uncompromising dedication to patient well-being, and we will never rest on our laurels.”

¹The Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco, Sonoma and Solano Counties in California.

Contact

Christopher Brown

Director, Media Relations

Phone: 510.791.3417

About Washington Township Healthcare District

Washington Township Health Care District is governed by an elected board and includes Washington Hospital Healthcare System. Unlike a municipal or county hospital, Washington Hospital’s operating expenses, research, community programs, and employee salaries are funded by revenues generated through providing patient and other health care services. Opened in 1958, Washington Hospital Healthcare System has grown to include a 341-bed, acute-care hospital; the Taylor McAdam Bell Neuroscience Institute; The Gamma Knife® Center; Washington Radiation Oncology Center; Washington Outpatient Surgery Center; Washington Outpatient Rehabilitation Center; Washington Institute for Joint Restoration and Research; Washington Township Medical Foundation; and Washington West, a complex which houses Washington Women’s Center, Outpatient Imaging Center, Sandy Amos RN Infusion Center, Washington Urgent Care and additional outpatient hospital services and administrative facilities. Discover more at whhs.com.

About Healthgrades®

The 258 recipients of the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ stand out among the rest for overall clinical excellence across a broad spectrum of care. During the 2017 study period (2013-2015), these hospitals showed superior performance in clinical outcomes for patients in the Medicare population across at least 21 of 32 of the most common inpatient conditions and procedures – as measured by objective clinical outcomes performance data (risk-adjusted mortality and in-hospital complications). To learn more about how Healthgrades determines Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ recipients, please visit www.healthgrades.com/quality.