SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., – Regional West Medical Center is proud to announce that it has achieved 5-stars for its performance in Stroke, Sepsis, Esophageal/Stomach Surgeries, Pulmonary Embolism and Respiratory Failure Care from Healthgrades, the leading online resource helping consumers make informed decisions to find the right doctor, the right hospital for the right care. These achievements are part of new findings and data released in late 2016 by Healthgrades and is featured in the Healthgrades 2017 Report to the Nation. Every year, Healthgrades evaluates hospital performance at nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide for 34 of the most common inpatient procedures and conditions.*

The new report demonstrates how clinical performance continues to differ dramatically between hospitals regionally and nationally. This variation in care has a significant impact on health outcomes. For example, from 2013-2015, if all hospitals as a group, performed similarly to hospitals receiving 5-stars as a group, on average 223,412 lives could potentially have been saved and 162,215 complications could potentially have been avoided. ** A 5-star rating indicates that Regional West Medical Center’s clinical outcomes are statistically significantly better than expected when treating the condition or performing the procedure being evaluated.

Additionally, from 2013-2015, patients treated for stroke in hospitals with 5-stars for 30-day mortality have, on average a 47.3% lower risk of dying than if they were treated in hospitals with 1-star for 30-day mortality. Similarly, patients treated for stroke in hospitals with 1-star for 30-day mortality are, on average 1.9 times more likely to die than if they were treated in hospitals with 5-stars for 30-day mortality.**

“We are proud to once again be nationally recognized by Healthgrades for five awards in the treatment of stroke, respiratory failure, esophageal/stomach surgeries, pulmonary embolism, and sepsis. All of our staff and providers at Regional West are focused on working to improve patient outcomes, patient safety, and patient satisfaction. We strive to provide a positive patient experience with each patient encounter. This recognition is for everyone at Regional West working as a team to provide excellent patient care services.”  John Mentgen, President and CEO of Regional West Health Services.

“These awards highlight the work our staff has done as we continue to concentrate on quality improvement and enhancing patient care,” said Lisa Scheppers, MD, FACP, Regional West’s Chief Medical Officer.

“For example, in the area of stroke care, we have developed a stroke committee, hired a stroke coordinator, added stroke education and grand rounds, and utilize tele-stroke consults for immediate assistance, all in an effort to provide the best possible care for patients who suffer stroke. We continue to monitor literature and incorporate best practices in patient care throughout the medical center in our efforts to provide the right care to the right person at the right time, all the time,” said Dr. Scheppers.

“Hospitals that have achieved Healthgrades 5-stars in Stroke, Sepsis Esophageal/Stomach Surgeries, Pulmonary Embolism or Respiratory Failure Care have demonstrated a commitment to exceptional quality care for their patients,” said Evan Marks, Chief Strategy Officer, Healthgrades. “In an environment where consumers have more choices about where to receive their care, a hospital’s commitment to achieving a superior degree of quality for their patients is more important than ever.” 

*For its analysis, Healthgrades evaluated approximately 45 million Medicare inpatient records for nearly 4,500 short-term acute care hospitals nationwide, assessing hospital performance relative to each of 32 common conditions and procedures, as well as an evaluation of comparative outcomes in appendectomy and bariatric surgery using all-payer data provided by 18 states. Healthgrades recognizes a hospital’s quality achievements for cohort-specific performance, specialty area performance, and overall clinical quality. Individual procedure or condition cohorts are designated as 5-star (statistically significantly better than expected), 3-star (not statistically different from expected) and 1-star (statistically significantly worse than expected) categories. The complete Healthgrades 2017 Report to the Nation and detailed study methodology, can be found at www.healthgrades.com/quality.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 182-bed regional referral center and one of three Level II Trauma Centers in the state. As the region’s only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 providers, and over 2,000 employees, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

**Statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of MedPAR data for years 2013 through 2015 and represent 3-year estimates for Medicare patients only.