Community Hospital Achieves Top Honors for Excellence in Women’s Health

HG Womens Health Trophy Image 2014Community Hospital has achieved the Healthgrades® 2014 Women’s Health Excellence Award™. The recognition distinguishes Community Hospital as a best-performing hospital regarding women’s health. It is the sixth consecutive year that the Munster hospital has achieved this award. Community Hospital is among only 176 facilities recognized across the nation this year for the inpatient care provided to women for common conditions and procedures.

Healthgrades’ findings are based on an analysis of more than 5 million Medicare patient records - from 2010 to 2012 - and review of some 15 procedures and diagnoses on women’s medicine, cardiovascular, and bone and joint health treatments. Healthgrades Women’s Health in American Hospitals report identified the top-performing hospitals in the nation for women’s health and compared women’s health outcomes to those of men. The comparison focused in on two primary areas: cardiac care and bone and joint health. Findings indicated significant differences in women’s treatment and outcomes.

“Healthgrades’ award for excellence in women’s care serves as an acknowledgment of the teamwork that goes into providing the very best care to every patient, every visit,” said Don Fesko, Chief Executive Officer of Community Hospital. “This is the sixth consecutive time we’ve been recognized by Healthgrades for outstanding women’s health outcomes and it affirms the commitment of our physicians, specialists, clinical staff and nurses to consistently deliver high quality care to the people, particularly, the women of our community.”

“Women tend to fare worse than men in the treatment of significant medical conditions like cardiovascular disease, so it is important for women to understand their risks and select a hospital accordingly,” said Evan Marks, Executive Vice President, Healthgrades. “The Healthgrades 2014 Women’s Health Excellence Award recipients have demonstrated exceptional performance and a dedicated approach to delivering superior quality of care for women.”

Healthgrades 2014 Women’s Health Excellence Award recipient hospitals have the potential to save women’s lives. Compared to hospitals that performed in the bottom 10% from 2010 through 2012, Healthgrades Women’s Health Excellence Award recipients as a group had a 55% lower mortality rate across eight conditions and procedures and a 21% lower complication rate across seven conditions and procedures.[1] If all hospitals nationwide performed at the level of the Healthgrades Women’s Health Excellence Award hospitals:

22,737 women’s lives could have potentially been saved
30,577 women could have potentially avoided in-hospital complications

Earlier this year, Healthgrades named Community Hospital in Munster as an America’s 50 Best HospitalTM for a seventh consecutive time, placing it in the top one percent of all hospitals in the nation for quality outcomes. Other specialty areas Community Hospital is ranked by Healthgrades as among the Top 5% in the nation include overall cardiac surgery; neurosciences; and treatment of stroke.

With regard to women’s cancer care and prevention, the Women’s Diagnostic Center in Munster has been designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology, recognized for high standards and accreditation in mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided breast biopsy. Community Hospital’s Women’s Diagnostic Center offers same-day results of high-quality screening and diagnostic services to help detect breast cancer at its earliest stages.

Community Hospital also is one of the most experienced hospitals in the area for maternity care, delivering the most babies per year in Northwest Indiana. On July 8, Community Hospital will open the new Family Birthing Center, part of the Parkview Tower $34 million expansion project. Three floors of the new tower are dedicated to the care of moms and babies.

For more information about specialized women’s care and the programs and services offered by Community Hospital in Munster, visit www.comhs.org.