News

St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center has been named one of America’s Best Hospitals for Emergency Care and Obstetrics by the Women’s Choice Award^®, America’s trusted referral source for the best in healthcare. The award signifies that St. Mary’s is in the top one percent of 4,542 U.S. hospitals offering emergency care services and the hospital is in the top six percent of 4,542 hospitals offering obstetrics.

“We are honored to have been recognized by the Women’s Choice Award for Emergency Care and Obstetrics,” says Krista Roberts, CEO at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center. “I am grateful to have an extraordinary team of physicians and dedicated staff who continue to raise the bar, working to provide excellence in patient care,” she says.

Emergency Care

The methodology for America’s Best Hospitals for Emergency Care award is unique in that it combines Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey results with primary research about women’s healthcare preferences. The award recognizes excellence in emergency care based on several process of care measures focused on time patients spent in the emergency department, including:

• Total time spent in the Emergency Department
• Time from admission to a room
• Percent of emergency patients who left without being seen

Criteria for selecting St. Mary’s as one of America’s Best also included the percentage of patients who came to the emergency department with stroke symptoms who received brain scan results within 45 minutes of arrival. Also included this year were hospitals that performed well in responding to patients showing symptoms of severe sepsis, a very dangerous condition. The awarded hospitals represent those with emergency departments with average measure times in the highest 25^th to 50^th percentile in the country. Hospitals received additional credit if they have an accredited trauma center.

The award is especially significant given that long waits and high crowding can negatively impact patient outcomes, including patients leaving without receiving medical treatment, longer overall length of hospital stay and an increase in mortality rates.

St. Mary’s is one of 477 award recipients representing the hospitals that have met the highest standards for emergency care in the U.S. by the Women’s Choice Award.

Obstetrics

The methodology for America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics is unique in that it combines national accreditations, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey results and hospital outcome scores with primary research about women’s healthcare preferences. It is the only award recognizing excellence in obstetric services based on robust criteria that consider patient satisfaction and clinical excellence.

The America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics gives consideration to the following specific criteria (all are not required):

• The percentage of patients reporting through the HCAHPS survey that they would definitely recommend the hospital
• Patient safety ranking based on 11 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ measures of infection and complication rates
• Low rates of early elective deliveries (between 0-1 percent)
• Baby-Friendly USA designation, a World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) initiative to support best practices for breast feeding education and counseling
• Level III and Level IV neonatal intensive care designations to provide comprehensive care for the most complex and critically ill newborns.

St. Mary’s is one of 408 award recipients representing the hospitals that have met the highest standards for obstetrics across the U.S.

For more information about the America’s Best Hospitals for Emergency Care, please visit their website.