News: HealthGrades publishes the list of their 100 best hospitals for 2017

HealthGrades, the online healthcare provider rating service, released its widely read list of America's 50 and 100 Best Hospitals for 2017, with few changes seen from the 2016 list, HealthLeaders Media reported.

HealthGrades names the top 100 hospitals based on those that have been in the top 2% of in the nation for clinical excellence for the last three consecutive years. The top 50 hospitals have all been in the top 1% for at least six consecutive years.

The hospitals are evaluated on their quality for conditions and procedures based on clinical outcomes for the most common hospital procedures and conditions, adjusted for risk factors (e.g. age, gender, and severity of illness), based on more than 45 million Medicare claims records for the most recent three-year time period (which varies depending on the condition) available for nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide.

HealthGrades also says hospitals on their lists outperform peers in treating a core group of conditions that account for more than 80% of mortalities, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, respiratory failure, sepsis, and stroke.

“Hospitals that have achieved America’s Best Hospitals distinction have sustained high quality outcomes for their patients over many years and often offer programs that engage consumers and …communities in their care,” Brad Bowman, MD, HealthGrades chief medical officer said in remarks accompanying the study.

“Healthcare consumerism is requiring hospitals and health systems to innovate in a variety of areas, including quality, to meet growing expectations about the level of care, personalization and convenience,” he said.

Editor’s note: To read HealthLeaders Media’s coverage of the HealthGrades lists, click here. To read the lists themselves, click here. The criteria hospitals are evaluated on can be found here.