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Watauga Medical Center Named Among Nation’s Top 10 Percent for Coronary Intervention

Watauga Medical Center has received the 2020 Coronary Intervention Excellence Award™, 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 Cardiac Awards and Achievements:
  • 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 

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 44.9% lower risk of dying if treated at hospitals that received the Coronary Intervention Excellence Award™, versus hospitals that did not receive the Award.*  
  • Patients have a 48% lower risk of dying if treated at hospitals that received the 5-Star for Treatment of Heart Attack, versus hospitals that received a 1-Star Rating for In-hospital Mortality.* 
  • Patients have a 61% lower risk of dying if treated at hospitals that received the 5-Star for Treatment of Heart Failure, versus hospitals that received a 1-Star Rating for In-hospital Mortality.*  
“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’ Coronary Intervention Excellence Award™ 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
  • 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) 
 
“Our team continues to raise the bar for clinical excellence,” said Kim Bianca, President of Watauga Medical Center. ”This recognition reflects the caliber of our staff and the expert care they provide to our community daily.”
 
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/