CDH Top-ranked in Massachusetts for Joint-replacement Outcomes

NORTHAMPTON — A report released by HealthGrades, the nation’s most trusted, independent source of physician information and hospital-quality ratings, ranked Cooley Dickinson Hospital number-one in Massachusetts for joint-replacement outcomes. Joint replacement includes knee and hip replacements.

Choosing a hospital can be a life-or-death decision. The HealthGrades report found that patients treated at five-star-rated hospitals experience a 73{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} lower risk of mortality and a 63{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} lower risk of complications compared to one-star-rated hospitals. A quality comparison of doctors and hospitals in the Springfield area can be found online at healthgrades.com.

Earlier this year, Cooley Dickinson was also recognized by HealthGrades for being in the top 5{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} in the nation for patient safety. Cooley is the only hospital in the Greater Springfield region to have achieved the award for three consecutive years.

“Achieving the best outcomes in Massachusetts for joint replacement is the culmination of the steps our doctors, nurses, allied-health professionals, and staff have taken ever since our dedicated Joint Replacement Center opened to ensure that our patients gain the improved quality of life and other benefits that joint replacement brings,” said Craig Melin, president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson. “While we’re pleased as a hospital to be recognized, the ultimate beneficiaries of our quality efforts are our patients.”

Patients today have a wide array options when it comes to choosing a health care provider, said Kerry Hicks, HealthGrades CEO. “At HealthGrades, we are proud to have led the way for empowering patient choice based on objective clinical outcomes and access to actionable quality measures. We commend Cooley Dickinson Hospital for its superior quality and support of consumerism and transparency in the Springfield area.”

Cooley Dickinson has been five-star-rated for its treatment of heart attack for the past eight years, and is currently five-star-rated for joint replacement, total knee replacement, total hip replacement, appendectomy, and gynecologic surgery.

According to the HealthGrades 2011 Healthcare Consumerism and Hospital Quality in America report, patients have, on average a 73{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} lower risk of dying in a five-star-rated hospital compared to a one-star rated hospital, and a 54{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} lower risk of dying in a five-star-rated hospital compared to the national average.

In addition, patients in five-star programs are 63{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} less likely to experience in-hospital complications than patients at one-star programs, and have a 43{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} lower chance of developing an in-hospital complication than the national average.

If all Medicare patients from 2008 through 2010 had been treated at five-star hospitals, according to the report, 240,040 lives could have potentially been saved, and 164,472 in-hospital complications could have potentially been avoided.