Last Updated on March 26, 2022 2:29 pm
BOONE, N.C. (July 6, 2020) – Watauga Medical Center is recognized among America's 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery™ in 2020, according to a national study by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for information about physicians and hospitals.
This achievement is part of findings released in the Healthgrades 2020 Report to the Nation. This report demonstrates the importance of hospital quality to both hospital leaders and consumers, and recognizes Watauga Medical Center’s commitment to quality patient outcomes with multiple Orthopedics Awards and Achievements:
- America's 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery™ in 2020
- Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award™ & Top 10% in the Nation for 2 Years in a Row (2019-2020)
- 5-Star for Hip Fracture Treatment for 2 Years in a Row (2019-2020)
“I am extremely proud our orthopedic service has been recognized in this way. These awards represent the culmination of vision, cooperation, passion, and hard work by every member of our orthopedic team. We have all worked tirelessly to provide the best care possible to those patients who place their trust in us for their orthopedic care, said Dr. Steven Anderson, orthopedic surgeon for AppOrtho. “Our goal for the last few years has been to build orthopedics at Watauga Medical Center into a service providing the highest quality joint and musculoskeletal care but with an element of hometown or small-town convenience and compassion that often isn’t found at larger “big city” medical centers. These awards reinforce we are headed in the right direction.”
Variation in hospital quality can have a significant impact on the quality of care a patient receives.
Healthgrades compared 2020 Award Recipients as a group, to all other hospitals, & found that on average:
- Patients have a 39.7% lower risk of complication if treated at hospitals that received the America's 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery™ Award, versus hospitals that did not receive the Award.*
- Patients have a 37.7% lower risk of complication if treated at hospitals that received the Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award™, versus hospitals that did not receive the Award.*
- Patients have a 46.6% lower risk of complication if treated at hospitals that received the 5-Star for Hip Fracture Treatment, versus hospitals that received a 1-Star Rating.*
“As consumers navigate their health, it is important to consider a number of factors, including hospital quality, before deciding where to access care,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Healthgrades. “Healthgrades’ America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery recognizes those hospitals that have proven their dedication to quality care and exceptional outcomes over time and we applaud their efforts and achievement.”
Watauga Medical Center also received national recognition for the following clinical areas:
- Patient Safety Excellence Award™ & Top 10% in the Nation in 2019
- Coronary Intervention Excellence Award™ & Top 10% in the Nation in 2020
- 5-Star for Treatment of Heart Attack for 2 Years in a Row (2019-2020)
- 5-Star for Treatment of Heart Failure in 2020
Every year, Healthgrades evaluates hospital performance at nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide for 32 of the most common inpatient procedures and conditions using Medicare data, and outcomes in appendectomy and bariatric surgery using all-payer data provided by 15 states.
For its analysis, Healthgrades evaluated approximately 45 million Medicare inpatient records for nearly 4,500 short-term acute care hospitals nationwide to assess hospital performance in 32 common conditions and procedures, and evaluated outcomes in appendectomy and bariatric surgery using all-payer data provided by 15 states. The Healthgrades 2020 Report to the Nation and detailed study methodology, can be found at https://partners.healthgrades.com/healthgrades-quality-solutions/healthgrades-quality-awards/
For more information about orthopedic services, please visit https://apprhs.org/orthopedics/
