Orlando metropolitan area has only one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for 2011, according to a report released on Wednesday by HealthGrades America, a leading independent healthcare rating organization. While West Palm Beach leads the way with six hospitals recognized with this elite distinction, two other hospitals located in Ocala made the cut on HealthGrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals list. The 50 best hospitals are located in 28 cities in 19 states across the U.S.
Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford is the lone facility in the Orlando metro area that demonstrated superior and sustained clinical quality over an eleven year time period, according to HealthGrades America. The Ocala hospitals named to the list are, Munroe Regional Medical Center and Ocala Regional Medical Center/West Marion Hospital.
In identifying the 50 Best Hospitals, HealthGrades America also analyzed more than 140 million Medicare patient records and established criteria such as risk-adjusted and complication rates in the top 5% in the nation for the most consecutive years, 30% lower risk of death and 3% lower rate of complications. HealthGrades study found that if all U.S. hospitals had performed at this level, more than a half million Medicare deaths could have been prevented between 1999 and 2009.
The six leading hospitals in West Palm Beach are: Martin Memorial Medical Center, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute, Jupiter Medical Center and Delray Medical Center.
Three other hospitals in Florida were among America’s 50 Best Hospitals, making for a total of 12 overall. These are: Flager Hospital Saint in Jacksonville, Bay Medical Center in Panama City and Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Tampa.
