HealthGrades crowns top ERs

Every second counts—at least in emergency medicine. This year, HealthGrades has reported 263 hospitals performed in the top 5 percent nationwide in terms of superior emergency care.

Those hospitals tapped as being among the top 5 percent for ER care received HealthGrades' Emergency Medicine Excellence Award. Milwaukee, Phoenix and Cincinnati were the top three cities for ER care. Hospitals in these cities saw the lowest rates of risk-adjusted mortality for patients admitted to the ER.

HealthGrades analyzed more than seven million patient Medicare records between 2008 and 2010 to make the designation. Hospitals that made the cut had, on average, mortality rates that were 41.5 percent lower than all other hospitals.

Twelve diagnoses were included in the analysis:

• Bowel obstruction;
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;
• Diabetic acidosis and coma;
• Gastrointestinal bleed;
• Heart attack;
• Heart failure;
• Pancreatitis;
• Pneumonia;
• Pulmonary embolism;
• Respiratory failure;
• Sepsis; and
• Stroke

Between 2008 and 2010, ER heart attack admissions decreased by 1.7 percent. During this same time period, stroke admissions rose 2.2 percent among Medicare patients, according to the Denver-based HealthGrades.

The HealthGrades’ analysis speculated if all hospitals performed at the level of those that were bestowed the award, 170,856 patients could have possibly survived an ER hospitalization.

Of those hospitals that received the award, 36 percent were located in the following eight regions: Chicago (18 hospitals); Los Angeles (15 hospitals); Baltimore (12 hospitals); Cleveland (12 hospitals); Phoenix (12 hospitals); St. Louis (nine hospitals); Cincinnati (eight hospitals); and Detroit (eight hospitals).

The top 10 cities with the lowest risk-adjusted mortality for patients admitted to the ER were:

• Milwaukee;
• Phoenix;
• Cincinnati;
• West Palm Beach, Fla.;
• Baltimore;
• Traverse City, Mich.;
• Dayton, Ohio;
• Cleveland;
• Fargo, N.D.; and
• Detroit

View the HealthGrades website to see which hospitals made the cut.