Healthgrades Recognizes Prime Healthcare Hospitals with 
21 Five-Star Ratings and Nine Awards for Women's Healthcare

(ONTARIO, CA – August 14, 2019) – Prime Healthcare hospitals have been nationally recognized with 21 Five-Star Ratings and nine Specialty Excellence Awards for women’s healthcare by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for information about physicians and hospitals.

“Healthgrades recognizes hospitals for providing exceptional care for women’s health. That eight Prime Healthcare hospitals have received 21 Five-Star Ratings and Nine Specialty Excellence Awards in this category alone shows a clear commitment to quality and strong clinical outcomes,” said Healthgrades Chief Medical Officer Brad Bowman, MD. “Women who research hospital quality ratings will make more informed healthcare decisions and can feel more confident knowing they are selecting a hospital that is a recipient of an excellence award for a specialty that is relevant to their care needs.”

To help consumers evaluate and compare hospital performance, Healthgrades analyzed patient outcomes data for virtually every hospital in each of the 15 states that provide all-payer state data for years 2015 through 2017. Prime’s hospitals in CA, KS, MO, GA, IN, and MI weren’t eligible to participate because those states do not provide all-payer state data to Healthgrades for these awards.

Five of the eight hospitals recognized are recipients of Healthgrades Gynecologic Surgery Excellence Award, which recognizes hospitals for their outstanding performance in gynecologic surgery, including hysterectomies and surgeries related to the female reproductive system. The recognition places the five hospitals – Saint Mary's General Hospital and Saint Clare's Hospital in New Jersey, Knapp Medical Center and Harlingen Medical Center in Texas, and Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Nevada – in the top 10 percent of all hospitals evaluated for providing outstanding outcomes in gynecologic surgery.

“Gynecological procedures are now primarily performed laparoscopically through small incisions, often through the belly button, using minimally invasive technology,” said Katie Grimm, Chief Nursing Officer for Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, which received three awards for gynecologic surgery. “For patients, this means less pain and shorter recovery times. Yet because these procedures are complex, they require an experienced team. This award recognizes the highly-qualified physicians, nurses and clinical team at Saint Mary’s, who all take great pride in providing the women in our community with excellent care.”

Additionally, two hospitals – Knapp Medical Center and Mission Regional Medical Center in Texas – received the Healthgrades Labor and Delivery Excellence Award and Healthgrades Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence Award.

The Labor and Delivery Excellence Award recognizes Knapp and Mission for exceptional care of mothers during and after labor and delivery. The Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence Award recognizes the two hospitals for exceptional clinical outcomes while caring for women during labor and immediately after delivery, as well as women undergoing gynecologic procedures.

Two other hospitals – Dallas Regional Medical Center and Dallas Medical Center in Texas – were Healthgrades Five-Star recipients in a number of procedures, including vaginal and C-section delivery and hysterectomies.

“We are proud that so many of our hospitals have been nationally recognized by Healthgrades for excellence in women’s healthcare,” said Prime Healthcare Division I Chief Medical Officer Sunny Bhatia, MD. “This recognition reinforces our mission of caring for the community and is a testament to the commitment of Prime Healthcare, its clinicians and staff to providing the highest quality healthcare to women and children.”

Healthgrades found that the variation in hospital performance makes a significant difference in terms of clinical outcomes.

• Patients treated in hospitals receiving the Healthgrades Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence Award had, on average, a 33.4% lower risk of experiencing a complication while in the hospital than if they were treated in hospitals that did not receive the award.

• Patients treated in hospitals receiving the Healthgrades Labor and Delivery Excellence Award had, on average, a 39.2% lower risk of experiencing a complication while in the hospital than if they were treated in hospitals that did not receive the award.

• Patients treated in hospitals receiving the Healthgrades Gynecologic Surgery Excellence Award had, on average, a 43.5% lower risk of experiencing a complication while in the hospital than if they were treated in hospitals that did not receive the award.

Prime Healthcare consistently earns top marks for its clinical quality. Prime Healthcare's hospitals received more than 270 awards in 2019 from Healthgrades, including more Patient Safety Excellence Awards than any other health system for four consecutive years (2016-2019). Also, spring of 2019, 18 Prime hospitals earned the highest marks for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group. Prime Healthcare and its hospitals have been recognized among the "100 Top Hospitals" in the nation 47 times by IBM Watson Health. ​