HealthGrades Names America’s 50 Best Hospitals based on independent analysis of 27 different procedures and diagnoses

HealthGrades has released its 2008 rankings of America’s 50 Best Hospitals -- hospitals that have demonstrated superior clinical outcomes for the most consecutive years. Hospitals cannot apply for this independent analysis, and they cannot opt-in or out of being rated.

To identify the top hospitals for 2008, HealthGrades researchers analyzed approximately 100 million hospitalization records from nearly 5,000 hospitals, from the years 1999 to 2006.

To be listed among America’s 50 Best Hospitals, facilities must have demonstrated clinical outcomes among the top five percent in the nation, not just in one medical specialty, but aggregated across 27 different procedures and diagnoses, and must have maintained this superior level of care during all years studied. These hospitals were found to have an average 27 percent lower mortality rate, on average, than all other U.S. hospitals.

HealthGrades’ annual assessment of mortality and complication rates in American hospitals analyzes the following procedures and diagnoses and then risk-adjusts the data to account for differences in patient populations among hospitals:

• Atrial Fibrillation
• Back and Neck Surgery (Spinal Fusion)
• Back and Neck Surgery (except Spinal Fusion)
• Bowel Obstruction
• Carotid Surgery
• Cholecystectomy
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Coronary Bypass Surgery
• Coronary Interventional Procedures (Angioplasty and Stents)
• Diabetic Acidosis and Coma
• Gastrointestinal Bleed
• Gastrointestinal Surgeries and Procedures
• Heart Attack
• Heart Failure
• Hip Fracture Repair
• Pancreatitis
• Peripheral Vascular Bypass
• Pneumonia
• Prostatectomy
• Pulmonary Embolism
• Resection/Replacement of Abdominal Aorta
• Respiratory Failure
• Sepsis
• Stroke
• Total Hip Replacement
• Total Knee Replacement
• Valve Replacement Surgery

View the Top 50 Hospitals List [PDF File]