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Anaheim, CA (May 8, 2018) – West Anaheim Medical Center announced today that it is a recipient of the Healthgrades 2018 Patient Safety Excellence Award, a designation that recognizes superior performance of hospitals that have prevented the occurrence of serious, potentially avoidable complications for patients during hospital stays.

West Anaheim Medical Center is among seven prestigious hospitals in Orange County that were recognized for patient safety. West Anaheim Medical Center is a member of Prime Healthcare, and Prime Healthcare has more Patient Safety Excellence Award recipients for three consecutive years (2016-2018) than any other health system in the country.

“We applaud the hospitals who have received the Healthgrades 2018 Patient Safety Excellence Award,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Healthgrades. “Their dedication and commitment to providing safe care creates tangible results for patients.”

The distinction places West Anaheim Medical Center among the top 5 percent of all acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data for its excellent performance as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals.

“This achievement highlights the collective effort of our dedicated team’s commitment towards patient care and safety. We understand the critical role patient safety plays in our health systems and we are proud to show the community that their safety is our primary focus,” said Edward Mirzabegian, CEO.

During the 2014 to 2016 study period, Healthgrades found that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average:

  • 55.6 percent less likely to experience an accidental cut, puncture, perforation or hemorrhage during medical care, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals
  • 52.4 percent less likely to experience a collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals
  • 62.8 percent less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired at the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals
  • 54.3 percent less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals

During the study period (2014 to 2016), Healthgrades 2018 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient hospitals demonstrated excellent performance in safety provided for patients in the Medicare population, as measured by objective outcomes (risk-adjusted patient safety indicator rates) for 13 patient safety indicators defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

If all hospitals achieved the average performance of award recipients for each of the 13 Patient Safety Indicators evaluated, during the 2014 to 2016 study period, 126,342 patient safety events could have been avoided.

According to Barbara Tenneson, CNO West Anaheim Medical Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to all changes to policy or procedures that affect patient care. Daily processes revolve around the patient and family, including using AHRQ’s Patient and Family Engagement Bedside Shift report to ensure smooth and safe transitions in care.

View Healthgrades hospital quality methodologies.

Access the recently released Patient Sentiment Report from Healthgrades and MGMA, which analyzed nearly 7 million online patient reviews and reveals what patients say about their physicians.

About West Anaheim Medical Center

Founded in 1964, West Anaheim Medical Center, a member of Prime Healthcare, is a 219-bed acute-care facility dedicated to providing the community with high-quality, compassionate healthcare. West Anaheim Medical Center has consistently received “Top 100 Hospital” in the nation accolades from Truven Health Analytics and is a recipient of the Patient Safety Excellence award from Healthgrades. Key services include general medical/surgical inpatient care and treatment, critical care, emergency services, behavioral health, orthopedics, cardiac care, and adult subacute care. For more information visit westanaheimmedctr.com.


Statistics are based on Healthgrades Patient Safety Ratings and Excellence Award methodology, which is primarily constructed using AHRQ Technical Specifications version 5E applied to MedPAR data for years 2014 through 2016 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only.