Oswego Health Achieves Healthgrades 2020 Patient Safety Excellence Award

(Oswego, NY – September 9, 2020) Oswego Health announced today that it is a recipient of the Healthgrades 2020 Patient Safety Excellence AwardTM. This distinction places Oswego Hospital among the top 5% of all short-term acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems.

During the study period (2016 through 2018), Healthgrades 2020 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient hospitals demonstrated excellent performance in safeguarding patients in the Medicare population, as measured by objective outcomes—risk-adjusted patient safety indicator (PSI) rates—for 13 PSIs defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). A 14th PSI included in the evaluation is Foreign Objects Left in Body During a Surgery or Procedure which is a “never” event and does not have an expected rate.

Healthgrades found that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average*:

• 48.3% less likely to experience a collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
• 54.4% less likely to experience a hip fracture following surgery, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
• 66.8% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
• 63% less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired at the hospital, than patients treated at non- recipient hospitals.

In addition, if all hospitals in the country performed at the level of award recipients for each of the 13 patient safety indicators, 110,864 patient safety events could have been avoided. *

“The mission of Oswego Health is to provide accessible, quality care and improve the health of residents in our community,” stated Chief Medical Officer, Duane Tull, MD. “Our priority has always been patient safety and quality of care, even throughout this pandemic. To receive these accolades during these unprecedented times is truly a proud moment for our staff and their hard work. This truly proves that our community hospital is one of the safest places to place to seek medical care in our region.”

“Consumers might not know that information around patient safety is readily available and should be considered when researching healthcare options,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Healthgrades. “We commend the recipients of the 2020 Patient Safety Excellence Award for their dedication to providing excellent care for their patients.”

View Healthgrades hospital quality methodologies.

*Statistics are calculated from Healthgrades Patient Safety Ratings and Excellence Award methodology which is based primarily on AHRQ technical specifications (Version 2019.0.1) to MedPAR data for years 2016 through 2018 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only.

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About Oswego Health:
The mission of Oswego Health is to provide accessible, quality care and improve the health of residents throughout Oswego County. As a not-for-profit healthcare system that was established in 1881, Oswego Health is proud to continue to be one of Oswego County’s largest employers. More than 1,200 employees work for the Oswego Health system, which includes the 164-bed community Oswego Hospital, a 28-bed psychiatric acute-care facility with multiple outpatient behavioral health service locations, The Manor at Seneca Hill, a 120-bed skilled nursing facility, and Springside at Seneca Hill, a retirement community. Oswego Health also has Health Services Centers located throughout Oswego County.For more information about Oswego Health, please visit our website  www.oswegohealth.org.