Medical

Southern Colorado has a new honor. Its hospitals are among the best in the nation to treat heart problems.

Healthgrades, Incorporated rated 15 hospitals including Penrose and Memorial in the Springs and Parkview in Pueblo. All three local medical centers scored a “best” rating for treating people with heart failure. The hospitals also ranked high for other heart procedures.

For the complete list:

HeathGrades Report Card

kktv.com Extended Web Coverage

HealthGrades Hospital Rating System

• HealthGrades objectively rates the performance of almost every hospital in the United States engaged in the critical medical specialties.

• Using a risk-adjustment model to take into account variations in the risk of illness of patients cared for by different hospitals, HealthGrades rates hospitals with a five-star rating system.

Rating System Chart

• Top-rated hospitals receive five stars.
  
• Three-star hospitals perform as expected - the difference between their actual and predicted performance is not statistically significant - and are referred to as "average."
  
• One star indicates lower-rated hospitals. The site displays outcome data (e.g., inhospital mortality) by procedure or diagnosis.

Where does the information for hospital ratings come from?

• Medicare files, known as the MEDPAR or Medicare Provider Analysis and Review files, licensed from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
  
• Files for 18 individual states that release all payer data to HealthGrades.

For more information about HealthGrades go to HealthGrades’ Web site.