Healthgrades on Tuesday announced the winners of the 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award and Outstanding Patient Experience Award.

The Patient Safety Experience Award

The Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award is based on an analysis of inpatient MedPAR data that measures a hospital's clinical performance across 14 different patient safety indicators (PSIs), which each represent a serious, potentially preventable complication.

To be eligible for the award, hospitals are required to meet certain clinical quality thresholds, have no instances of a foreign object being left behind during a procedure, and report data on at least seven out of eight core PSIs.

The top 10% of hospitals receive the Patient Safety Excellence Award, and this year 445 hospitals across 44 states were awarded the honor.

According to a Healthgrades' analysis, patients at awarded hospitals were less likely to experience several safety events than patients at hospitals that were not recognized, including:

• Catheter-related bloodstream infections (67.3% less likely)
• Pressure sores or bed sores while hospitalized (66.1% less likely)
• In-hospital falls that resulted in a hip fracture (61.6% less likely)
• A collapsed lung due to a procedure/surgery in or around the chest (52.7% less likely)

"Consumers are investing more time in researching and selecting the most suitable hospital and physician for their unique care needs. This trend can be seen in the way that consumers are taking an active role in their own health care," said Healthgrades CMO Brad Bowman. "Healthgrades' Patient Safety Excellence Award and Outstanding Patient Experience Award highlight the hospitals that are making patient safety and experience a priority, helping patients feel confident as they make more informed decisions about their health care."

See the full list of award recipients here.

The Outstanding Patient Experience Award

For the Outstanding Patient Experience Award, Healthgrades evaluated patient data from Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems surveys against 10 patient experience benchmarks. This allowed the organization to identify hospitals that displayed "an unwavering commitment to prioritizing positive patient experience during a short-term, acute care visit."

The top 15% of hospitals receive the Outstanding Patient Experience Award, and this year 419 hospitals across 47 states were awarded the honor. These hospitals provided "a best-in-class hospital experience for patients during the January 2021 and December 2021 study period," Healthgrades wrote.

Through an analysis, Healthgrades identified three patient experience ratings that predict whether a patient will recommend a hospital to others:

• Doctor communication
• Nurse communication
• Clear communication about care upon discharge

"When choosing a hospital or physician, consumers often fail to consider key determinants of exceptional care–including hospital quality and clinical outcomes–simply because they are unaware that they have access to this information," said Burt Kann, EVP and head of product at Healthgrades. "Our mission is to provide patients with the resources and knowledge they need to make the best decisions based on trusted information, not just instinct."

See the full list of award recipients here.

(Taylor, Becker's Hospital Review, 3/14; Healthgrades press release, 3/14; Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award list, accessed 3/15; Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award list, accessed 3/15)