Great care is happening at Southwest General, and we are receiving national recognition for it! Southwest General has excellent physicians and staff, allowing us to provide the personalized care that you deserve, as well as clinical outcomes that have ranked us among the best in the nation. Following is a list of our recognitions.
HEALTHGRADES RECOGNITION
Healthgrades, a national hospital ratings organization, evaluates hospitals on clinical outcomes: risk-adjusted mortality and in-hospital complications. Analysis is based on approximately 40 million Medicare discharges for the most recent three-year time period available. The data measures 27 procedures and diagnoses across 14 service lines and risk-adjusts for each patient’s extenuating conditions. Hospitals receive ratings for how well they perform above or below the predicted average for each of the procedures and diagnoses. Additionally, hospitals are recognized for superior outcomes for specialty excellence, clinical excellence and patient safety. Hospital performance is reviewed annually. For more information, visit www.healthgrades.com
Emergency Medicine Excellence Award
Southwest General has received HealthGrades' Emergency Medicine Excellence Award for three consecutive years. The award measures the effectiveness of a hospital’s teamwork and its ability to diagnose, triage and provide timely care to patients. HealthGrades studied data from 4,783 hospitals nationwide, and Southwest General was among 263 hospitals to receive the award, placing it in the top 5 percent nationally.
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LEAPFROG RECOGNITION
The Leapfrog Group, a national non-profit organization run by large employers and purchasers of health benefits, focuses on health care safety, quality and customer value.
"A" Grade for Patient Safety
Southwest General has achieved an "A" grade--the highest grade possible--in Leapfrog's fall 2012 Hospital Safety ScoreSM Report. The report ranks hospitals on preventable safety issues, such as infections acquired in the hospital, bedsores or medication errors. The report is the first to use a letter grading system to help consumers compare local hospitals’ safety records.
Calculated under the guidance of The Leapfrog Group’s nine-member Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 26 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single score representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from infections, injuries, and medical and medication errors.
To learn more, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org,
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THOMSON REUTERS RECOGNITION
Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. They combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, scientific, health care and media markets, powered by the world’s most trusted news organization. For more information, visit
www.thomsonreuters.com.
"100 Top Hospitals: National Benchmarks for Success" Award
For six of the past seven years, Southwest General has been ranked among the 100 Top Hospitals in the nation by Thomson Reuters. This award recognizes overall hospital performance and excellence in clinical outcomes, patient safety, financial performance and efficiency.
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THE JOINT COMMISSION (JC) RECOGNITION
The Joint Commission is the leader in accreditation and certification of health care organizations. For more information, visit www.jointcommission.org.
Southwest General is a Joint Commission-accredited facility and has been awarded the following certifications:
Primary Stroke Center
The JC's Certificate of Distinction for Primary Stroke Centers recognizes centers that make exceptional efforts to foster better outcomes for stroke care.
Heart Failure Certification
The JC's disease-specific certification recognizes exceptional efforts to foster better outcomes for heart failure patients.
More information about the benefits of certification.
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BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD ASSOCIATION RECOGNITION
Collectively, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield System provides health care coverage for more than 100 million people, or one-in-three Americans. Blue Distinction® is a designation awarded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield to medical facilities demonstrating expertise in delivering quality health care. The designation is based on rigorous, evidence-based, objective selection criteria established with input from expert physicians and medical organizations. The goal of the Blue Distinction program is to help consumers find quality specialty care on a consistent basis, while enabling and encouraging health care professionals to improve the overall quality and delivery of care nationwide.
Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care
Southwest General has been recognized as a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care®. Facilities with this recognition have demonstrated a commitment to quality care, resulting in better overall outcomes for cardiac patients. Each facility meets stringent clinical criteria, developed in collaboration with expert physicians' and medical organizations' recommendations, including the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), and is subject to periodic reevaluation as criteria continue to evolve.
Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement
Southwest General's Orthopedic Joint Center has been recognized as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement, reflecting its demonstrated commitment to providing quality care and better overall outcomes for knee and hip replacement surgery.
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UNITEDHEALTH
The UnitedHealth Premium Specialty Center Designation identifies facilities that meet specific program criteria and recognizes them for their commitment to quality health care. The program is designed to help consumers make more informed choices in selecting facilities that are designated for providing quality and cost-efficient care.
UnitedHealth Premium Total Joint Specialty Center
The Orthopedic Joint Center at Southwest General has been named a UnitedHealth Premium Total Joint Specialty Center in recognition of its commitment to quality health care and cost-efficient delivery of care.