Six Southwest Florida hospitals make top 100 in U.S. What to know
Six Southwest Florida hospitals are among the top 100 in the U.S., according to the latest ratings by Healthgrades.
Gulf Coast Medical Center, Lee Memorial Hospital, HealthPark Medical Center and Cape Coral Hospital run by Lee Health in Lee County made the list.
The NCH Baker Hospital and North Hospital in Collier County are among the top 100, according to the Denver-based Healthgrades.
Physicians Regional Healthcare System has two hospitals in Collier and they have not been among the 100.
Lee Health’s president and chief executive officer, Dr. Larry Antonucci, said being named in the top 100, which is among the nation’s top 2% of hospitals, is an honor.
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“Recognition from an independent authority like Healthgrades validates the quality care we offer at Lee Health,” he said. “Every individual in our team deserves congratulations for fostering a culture of continuous improvement that yields excellent outcomes.”
Antonucci said patients experience “the advantages of our commitment to top-notch care, where our dedicated team prioritizes their well-being through a relentless pursuit of healthcare excellence.”
The publicly-operated health system has 1,865 beds at its four general acute care hospitals, not including the 135-bed Golisano Children’s Hospital, rehabilitation beds and a host of outpatient services. The system has roughly 15,000 employees and sees two million patient visits a year
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Lee Health is one of the largest public health care system in Florida and doesn’t receive direct tax support. Its total operating revenue at the end of fiscal 2023, which ended Sept. 30, 2023, was $2.9 billion. The total operating revenue budget for 2024 is projected at $3 billion.
NCH, a private, nonprofit system with two campuses and a combined 716 beds, is proud to have the Baker hospital named in the top 100, according to Paul Hiltz, president and chief executive officer, said.
“These types of high-quality rankings continue to be a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence while also reinforcing our dedication to providing the highest standard of cutting-edge health care to our community,” Hiltz said.
NCH reported $622 million in total revenue for the first nine months of 2023, yet operating income loss of $33 million after expenses, according to its most recent financial filings.
How are the grades calculated?
Healthgrades uses Medicare data through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from 2020 through 2022 to determine the top 250 hospitals, the top 100, and top 50.
Patient outcomes data for 30 conditions or procedures were analyzed, which includes treatment for common conditions such as heart attack, heart failure and gastrointestinal bleeding.
The analysis includes surgical care for such things as total hip and total knee replacement, and mortality-based procedures and care for bowel obstruction, pulmonary embolism, respiratory failure and many other conditions.
Other hospitals in Florida that were among the top 100 are Advent Health Orlando, HCA Florida Orange Park, HCA Florida Aventura, HCA Florida Kendall, Mayo Clinic and Mt. Sinai Medical Center.
A recent survey by Healthgrades found that 76% of consumers would only choose a hospital with high quality ratings for their condition or procedure, and nearly two-thirds, 63%, are more likely to choose a hospital that received a quality award when choosing between two hospitals for an upcoming procedure.
If all hospitals performed similarly to the top 250 hospitals, 178,402 lives could have been saved, according to the organization.
“Healthgrades is dedicated to taking the guesswork out of the equation by providing consumers with a reliable, data-driven platform to identify reputable hospitals in their area,” said Dr. Brad Bowman, chief medical officer and head of data science at Healthgrades. “We want to give patients the confidence they're choosing the highest quality healthcare.”
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Healthgrades issues new hospital marks. How did NCH and Lee Health do?
