HealthGrades Names Ocala Regional Medical Center #1 in Florida for Bariatric Surgery Award is Third-in-a-Row for Bariatric Center
Ocala, FL (May 26, 2010) – An independent study published today by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization, analyzed patient outcomes at all hospitals in 19 states that perform bariatric surgeries and found that Ocala Regional Medical Center ranked #1 in Florida for the third year in a row and is in the top 5% in the nation in terms of quality for the procedures.
The fifth annual HealthGrades Bariatric Surgery Trends in American Hospitals Study examined major complication rates at 684 hospitals that performed bariatric surgery over the years 2006, 2007 and 2008 – nearly 200,000 procedures – using data from state governments. Of those hospitals, 481 had volumes high enough to be rated. Ocala Regional/West Marion was one of only 23 hospitals ranked in the nation’s top 5% and, as a result, it received the 2010/2011 HealthGrades Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award™.
“We are very proud to receive this award for the third straight year,” said H. Rex Etheredge, chief executive officer for Ocala Health System. “It is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of our Bariatric Center staff to offer only the highest quality of care to our bariatric patients.”
“It is truly an honor to know that we are rated #1 in the state of Florida for the third year-in-a-row,” said Muhammad Jawad, MD, medical director for the Bariatric Center. “We at the Bariatric and Laparoscopy Center of Ocala take pride in our commitment to our patients to achieve the best outcome and our dedicated staff works diligently with each patient to reach their goals.”
Bariatric surgery volumes have risen dramatically over the last decade as it has proven to be an effective treatment for morbid obesity, reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
The HealthGrades study compared Ocala Regional Medical Center and other top-performing hospitals to average hospitals and found that patients experienced, on average, 43% fewer complications and left the hospital 10% faster.
If all hospitals performed at the level of top-performing hospitals over the study years, 5,046 patients could have potentially avoided a major in hospital complication, the study found. In addition, bariatric surgery patients at top-performing hospitals spent an average of 2.00 days in the hospital, compared with 2.21 days and 2.48 days for average and poorly performing hospitals, respectively.
“This study shows, quite dramatically, that for bariatric surgery, it is important for patients to evaluate hospitals using objective information as they make their choice,”
said Rick May, MD, a vice president with HealthGrades and a co-author of the study.
The fifth annual HealthGrades Bariatric Surgery Trends in American Hospitals Study is available at www.healthgrades.com.
About Ocala Regional Medical Center
Ocala Regional Medical Center is a 200-bed facility located in the heart of Ocala, with the only Commission on Cancer approved cancer center in Marion County. Ocala Regional Medical Center offers a host of specialized medical services including bariatric surgery, cancer, cardiac and vascular, emergency, joint replacement, neurological and rehabilitation services.
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