The quality gap in healthcare is gaining more attention each day - all hospitals just aren't the same.  
As a consumer, you should know the facts. 
So when it comes to your life, which hospital should you trust?


The quality of hospital-based care in America is improving, but the gap between top-performing and poor-performing hospitals persists according to the Hospital Quality in America Study released by HealthGrades, the nation’s leading healthcare ratings company focusing on patient survival and recovery.  The 2008 Quality Study ranked Baton Rouge General 
#1 in Louisiana for overall Critical Care and among the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for Critical Care.  For the seventh year in a row, HealthGrades also recognized the General as Best in Baton Rouge for Cardiology (2002-2008).      

The study, which documents a significant variation in care quality between the highest-performing hospitals and all others, also found that if all hospitals performed at the level of hospitals rated with five stars by HealthGrades, 266,604 Medicare lives could have potentially been saved over the three years studied.
 
"Our research shows that while the overall quality of hospital care in America is improving, the gap between the best-performing hospitals and the worst persists," said Dr. Samantha Collier, HealthGrades' Chief Medical Officer and author of the study. "This persistent gap makes it imperative that anyone being admitted to a hospital do their homework and seek out highly rated facilities like Baton Rouge General."
 
According to The Tenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study, Baton Rouge General is recognized in the following areas:

  • #1 in Louisiana for Critical Care 
  • Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Critical Care 
  • Recipient of the 2008 Health Grades Critical Care Excellence Award 
  • Best Rated in Baton Rouge for Cardiology 7 Years in a Row (2002-2008) 
  • Five-Star Rated for the Treatment of Heart Attack 7 Years in a Row (2002-2008)

"Delivering the best quality care is extremely important," says Bill Holman, President and CEO of Baton Rouge General.  "There is a significant difference in the quality of care and outcomes between hospitals, even here in our community.  Consumers are taking an increasingly more active role in researching their options and insisting on hospitals with better quality ratings.  Services such as this can help people make more informed healthcare decisions."
 

About HealthGrades' 2008 Study
The Tenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study identifies key trends in the quality of care provided by approximately 5,000 hospitals nationwide. HealthGrades researchers analyzed Medicare discharges from every U.S. hospital between 2004 and 2006. Risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates were calculated and hospitals were assigned a 1-star (poor), 3-star (as expected), or 5-star (best) quality rating for 28 diagnoses and procedures from heart failure to hip replacement to pneumonia. Among the study's key findings:

          • Gaps persist between the "best" and the "worst" hospitals across all procedures and conditions studied.
          • Five-star rated hospitals had significantly lower risk-adjusted mortality across all three years studied.
          • Across all procedures and conditions studied, there was an approximate 71% lower chance of dying in a 5-star rated hospital compared to a 1-star rated hospital.
          • Across all procedures and conditions studied, there was an approximate 52% lower chance of dying in a 5-star rated hospital compared to the U.S. hospital average.

Individual hospital quality results from this study are available at www.healthgrades.com. 

Artwork by Tristen W., age 8, Baton Rouge  
Bluebonnet location: 8585 Picardy Avenue  •  Mid City location: 3600 Florida Boulevard  •  (225) 387-7000