West Valley Medical Center Proves Commitment to Patient Safety

West Valley Medical Center received the 2017 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ according to Healthgrades^®. West Valley is the only facility in the Treasure Valley and among 460 short-term, acute care hospitals to accomplish this notable recognition. The distinction places them in the top 10 percent nationwide and acknowledges how effectively patients are protected from serious and potentially preventable complications during their stay at the hospital.

"This recognition is a testament to our absolute commitment to patient safety and high quality care," explains Betsy Hunsicker, chief executive officer at West Valley Medical Center. "It is a great honor to earn the Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award. Every member of West Valley has a part in fostering an environment that keeps patients safe from harm and I am proud of our entire team's efforts that allowed us to achieve this award."

Patient Safety Excellence Award: Real Patient Benefits

During the 2013-2015 study period, 279,376 potentially preventable patient safety events took place among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals. In its most recent evaluation of hospitals reporting patient safety data, Healthgrades found that patients treated at hospitals achieving the Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average:

• 40.0 percent less likely to experience an accidental puncture or laceration during a procedure, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
• 44.6 percent 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 percent less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired at the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
• 50.2 percent less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.

"Healthgrades 2017 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipients have minimized patient safety events and also surpassed expectations in preventing safety incidents," said Brad Bowman, M.D., chief medical officer, Healthgrades. "We applaud these hospitals for their performance and for their organizational commitment to delivering high-quality care."

An average of 134,568 patient safety events could have been avoided if all hospitals, as a group, performed similarly during the study period to hospitals performing better-than-expected on each of 13 patient safety indicators evaluated by Healthgrades. The organization determines Patient Safety Excellence Award recipients through its evaluation of the occurrence of observed incidents and expected performance for patient safety indicators as defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.