Kirkland-based EvergreenHealth has been recognized by Healthgrades as one of America’s 100 Best hospitals in five specialties: stroke care, pulmonary care, gastrointestinal care, general surgery and critical care.

These achievements are part of findings released in the Healthgrades 2018 Report to the Nation, which studies clinical performance indicators nationwide to illuminate differences in care between high- and low-performing hospitals.

This is the fifth consecutive year EvergreenHealth ranks among Healthgrades’ 100 Best hospitals for pulmonary care and gastrointestinal care and the fourth straight year of recognition for general surgery, according to a press release. It is also the third year in a row the health system earned the distinction for both critical care and stroke care.

“EvergreenHealth relentlessly pursues the best clinical outcomes as a part of our mission to deliver high-quality, high-value care to the community we serve,” EvergreenHealth CEO Bob Malte said in the release. “We are proud to again be recognized among the best-performing hospitals in the country, and this success is a direct reflection of our providers,’ staff members’ and volunteers’ shared commitment to quality, safety and exceptional service.”

EvergreenHealth is the only health system in Washington to be named among the top five percent in the nation for neurosciences for three years in a row, the release states. The health system received the Healthgrades Stroke Care Excellence Award for the ninth consecutive year as well.

According to the release, every year, Healthgrades analyzes three years of Medicare Provider Analysis and Review data to produce a detailed report on mortality and complication rates, offering patients data-based resources to make informed health care decisions. For the 2018 report, about 45 million patient records were analyzed for nearly 4,500 short-term, acute care hospitals nationwide, assessing hospital performance relative to 32 common conditions and procedures. The report identified the 100 best-performing hospitals across all conditions or procedures evaluated within 10 clinical service areas.

To help consumers evaluate hospital performance specific to specialty service lines, 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 five-star, three-star and one-star categories. The latest report demonstrates how clinical performance continues to differ dramatically between hospitals nationally, regionally and at the local level, and the impact that this variation may have on health outcomes, the release states.

Understanding personal risk can help patients take steps that may improve the likelihood of successful treatment and recovery. A patient receiving care at a one-star rated hospital is at much greater risk of suffering a complication or death than a similar patient receiving care at a five-star rated hospital for the same procedure.

For example, from 2014-16, if all hospitals as a group performed similarly to hospitals receiving five-stars as a group, on average 219,568 lives could potentially have been saved and 164,454 complications could potentially have been avoided, according to the release.

“Many consumers believe that hospital quality is standardized, though the reality is that clinical quality and outcomes at hospitals vary widely across the country,” Brad Bowman, Healthgrades chief medical officer said in the release. “The hospitals that have achieved the Healthgrades 100 Best specialty distinction have demonstrated a commitment to exceptional quality of care and can distinguish themselves to consumers seeking care at high-quality facilities.”

EvergreenHealth has earned five-star ratings in the treatment of pneumonia for 13 years in a row, treatment of stroke and sepsis for nine consecutive years and the treatment of heart failure for eight years in a row, among others, the release states.

“EvergreenHealth has made numerous strides in clinical excellence by making innovative care solutions available to our patients,” Malte said in the release. “We strive to provide the most advanced technologies, the safest environments and the most compassionate care to enrich the health and well-being of every life we touch.”

The complete Healthgrades 2018 Report to the Nation and detailed study methodology can be found at www.healthgrades.com/quality.

For more information about EvergreenHealth’s commitment to quality and safety and exceptional care, visit www.evergreenhealth.com.