Welcome to the Business Journal Archives
Search for articles below, or continue to the all new BusinessJournalDaily.com now.
Search
Health Group Gives High Marks to Mahoning Valley Hospitals
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Mahoning Valley hospitals rank first rate among other facilities in the state when it comes to treating critical health care problems, according to a newly released survey.The Community Health Care Coalition, Inc. reports that several area hospitals are regarded as "significantly above average" in eight out of the 10 procedures or treatments studied.The North Canton-based organization published its findings as part of "A Consumer Guide to Hospital Quality," a pamphlet distributed by the coalition that ranks hospitals in Northeast Ohio in fields such as cardiac care, general surgery, orthopedic surgery and treatment of pulmonary diseases. The hospitals are ranked based upon their performance as compared to all other hospitals in the state.Each hospital's rankings are symbolized by stars -- ranging from a five-star score being "significantly above average," and a one-star score denoting a hospital's ranking as "significantly below average" for a particular procedure or treatment.Of the four area hospitals surveyed, Forum Health's Northside Medical Center in Youngstown earned top grades in six categories: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, neck artery surgery, hip replacement surgery, colon surgery, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia. The hospital ranked above average in cardiac bypass surgery and landed an average score for knee replacement and heart attack/angioplasty procedures.Forum Health's Trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren earned a significantly above average score for neck artery surgery and pneumonia treatments; an above average ranking for knee replacements, hip replacements and abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, and rated average for colon surgery and coronary bypass. It ranked below average in treatment for chronic pulmonary disease.Salem Community Hospital scored above average for treatment of pneumonia and fared an average score for knee and hip replacement surgery. It scored significantly below average in colon surgery and cardiac catherization.Michele Hoffmeister, spokeswoman for Salem Community, said the hospital had not yet reviewed the report, and would evaluate the study and the validity of the data.East Liverpool City Hospital rated considerably lower overall, according to the study. The hospital ranked significantly below average in neck artery surgery, colon surgery and pneumonia treatment. East Liverpool Hospital officials could not be reached for comment.Humility of Mary Health Partners' St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Youngstown, boasted five stars in three procedures or treatments -- coronary artery bypass, heart attack/angioplasty and hip replacement. The hospital also garnered an above-average ranking for cardiac catherizations, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease procedures, neck artery surgery and colon surgery. It posted average rankings for knee replacement surgery and treatment for pneumonia. Humility of Mary St. Joseph's Medical Center in Warrren scored above average in hip replacement surgery, knee replacement surgery and care for chronic pulmonary disease. It fared average for neck artery surgery, below average for colon surgery and significantly below average in treating pneumonia, the report showed.Dr. Clifford Waldman, chief medical officer at Humility of Mary, said the end result is that these reports show what a hospital does well and where it needs room for improvement. "In general, they're always good for the public," he said.Waldman also noted that any ranking of average and above is determined to be very good care, and that St. Elizabeth's did not rank below that in any category. "I think that reflects the good quality we provide," he said.Moreover, the report showed that northeast Ohio hospitals fared better than the rest of the state. Waldman also said the methodology used to research the consumer guide was fair, though he pointed that the data on which the report was based is from 2002 -- the latest statistics available. "It doesn't reflect some of the quality improvements we've made over the last year and a half," he said.Also, Waldman added the method used places a heavy emphasis on volume and the number of times a procedure is done at a specific hospital. Thus, the likelihood of a higher ranking of a hospital increases if a procedure is done more frequently there. "Volume does have an impact on procedure, but there's less to support that in treating medical conditions," such as pneumonia, he said.Amanda Walls, health care information consultant for Community Health Care Coalition, said the information for the study was based on the most recent data supplied from medicare records. The survey had to rely on public records because hospitals are not mandated to release medical data in Ohio. "We're behind the trend," she stated, adding 38 states require annual reports from hospitals.Still, medicare records are a reliable measure of a hospital's performance in specific areas, Walls said. "We don't have access to pediatrics," she acknowledged, adding the coalition is willing to work with hospitals in the future to get additional reporting information in these areas.The consumer guide is the first report of its kind in Ohio, Walls said.The Community Health Care Coalition is a consortium of about 100 employers in northeast Ohio that are concerned about the rising cost of health care. In all, 58 hospitals in the region were surveyed and evaluated upon four criteria. They were: volume and frequency of a procedure or treatment; mortality rate during a procedure or treatment; the number of major complications arising from a particular procedure or treatment; and the mortality rate occurring from major complications.To download the hospital report, go to http://www.ehpco.com/images/qualityreport.pdf"