Palos Community Hospital Named Among HealthGrades America's 50 Best Hospitals for 2012

Palos Community Hospital has announced that its superior clinical quality has placed it among an elite group of U.S. hospitals: HealthGrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals. To be recognized with this distinction, hospitals must have had risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates that were in the top 5% in the nation for the most consecutive years. On average, patients treated at America’s 50 Best Hospitals had nearly a 30% lower risk of death.

“This recognition is an honor for Palos Community Hospital and affirms the dedication and commitment of our staff in assuring that all our patients are treated with the same quality, competence, compassion and dignity as we would want one of our own family members to be treated,” says Sister Margaret Wright, president. “Our commitment to providing quality care is steadfast. As a result, we are able to provide health care services that are now recognized as among the best in the country and we will continue to do so for years to come.”

HealthGrades found that if all U.S. hospitals had performed at the level of Palos Community Hospital, more than a half million Medicare deaths could have been prevented between 2000 and 2010. This finding was based on an analysis of more than 150 million Medicare patient records.

“As our nation seeks to elevate the quality of care at all hospitals, these elite facilities provide a roadmap for success,” said Dr. Arshad Rahim, HealthGrades Director of Accelerated Clinical Excellence. “Consumers increasingly are demanding greater transparency and quality when selecting healthcare providers. These hospitals are delivering. We commend them for their dedication to excellence in patient care.”

HealthGrades compared the performance of America’s 50 Best Hospitals like Palos Community Hospital to all others and found:

• Collectively, during 2008 through 2010, these top hospitals had nearly a 30% lower risk-adjusted mortality across 17 procedures and diagnoses.
• From 2008 through 2010, if all hospitals performed at the level of America’s Best Hospitals, 179,593 Medicare deaths may have been prevented. Complete procedure-by-procedure comparisons of the HealthGrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals and all others can be found at HealthGrades.com. A comprehensive methodology for this award and all HealthGrades hospital ratings and rankings is also available online.

Who Are America’s Best Hospitals?

• America’s Best Hospitals are located in 88 cities in 25 states.
• The majority of America’s Best Hospitals are non-profit (87%), 7% are for profit, and 6% are government owned.
• America’s Best Hospitals range from 100 beds to more than 500, with 45% having less than 350 beds and 55% having more than 350 beds.

Palos Community Hospital's long-standing mission has been to provide the highest quality health care available. By combining the medical expertise of highly skilled physicians and nurses with state-of-the-art technology and a comprehensive approach to treatment, Palos is committed to delivering world-class medicine in a compassionate and caring environment.

Palos Community Hospital is a 436-bed non-profit health care facility located in Palos Heights, IL. As one of the leading area hospitals, we have been serving the communities of the Southwest suburbs for 40 years. Our more than 490-affiliate physicians represent more than 40 specialties and subspecialties.