Saint Joseph Berea Announced as Healthgrades Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Sepsis and Respiratory Failure

BEREA, Ky. (Oct. 20, 2021) – Saint Joseph Berea is 5-star rated for both sepsis and respiratory failure outcomes according to new research released by Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems. Saint Joseph Berea has been named a Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Sepsis for three years in a row (2020-2022) and has been named a Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Respiratory Failure for four years in a row (2019-2022). 

“To be named a five-star recipient once again by Healthgrades for treatment of sepsis and respiratory failure is a significant honor, which would not be possible without our incredible team,” said John Yanes, president, Saint Joseph Berea. “When people come to Saint Joseph Berea, they expect the best care possible, and this national recognition further shows how committed we are to ensuring patients receive the best care possible. When community members visit our facility, they can expect the best.”

Every year, Healthgrades evaluates hospital performance at nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide for 31 of the most common inpatient procedures and conditions.*

This analysis shows that patients treated at hospitals receiving a 5-star rating have a lower risk of mortality and a lower risk of experiencing one or more complications during a hospital stay than if they were treated at hospitals receiving a 1-star rating in that procedure or condition. From 2018 through 2020, if all hospitals as a group performed similarly to hospitals receiving 5-stars as a group, on average, 218,141 lives could potentially have been saved, and complications in 156,050 patients could potentially have been avoided.*

For the 2022 Report to the Nation, Healthgrades compared hospitals with statistically better than expected performance (5-stars), as a group, to those with statistically worse than expected performance (1-star), as a group, and found:

• From 2018-2020, patients treated for sepsis in hospitals with 5-stars for in-hospital mortality have, on average: 39.0% lower risk of dying than if they were treated in hospitals with 1-star for in-house mortality.*
• From 2018-2020, patients treated for sepsis in hospitals with 1-star for in-hospital mortality are, on average: 1.6 times more likely to die than if they were treated in hospitals with 5-stars for in-hospital mortality.*

For the 2022 Report to the Nation, Healthgrades compared hospitals with statistically better than expected performance (5-stars), as a group, to those with statistically worse than expected performance (1-star), as a group, and found:

• From 2018-2020, patients treated for Respiratory Failure in hospitals with 5-stars for in-hospital mortality have, on average: 49.7% lower risk of dying than if they were treated in hospitals with 1-star for in-house mortality.*
• From 2018-2020, patients treated for Respiratory Failure in hospitals with 1-star for in-hospital mortality are, on average: 2.0 times more likely to die than if they were treated in hospitals with 5-stars for in-hospital mortality.*

“Consumers are increasingly becoming aware of the differences of care provided by different hospitals. Consumers can feel confident that hospitals receiving a Healthgrades 5-star rating have demonstrated exceptional outcomes and their ability to provide quality care,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Data Science at Healthgrades.

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 31 common conditions and procedures and evaluated outcomes in appendectomy and bariatric surgery using all-payer data provided by 16 states. Healthgrades recognizes a hospital’s quality achievements for cohort-specific performance, specialty area performance, and overall clinical quality. Individual procedure or condition cohorts are designated as 5-star (statistically significantly better than expected), 3-star (not statistically different from expected), and 1-star (statistically significantly worse than expected).

* Statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of MedPAR data for years 2018 through 2020 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. For appendectomy and bariatric surgery, Healthgrades used inpatient data from 16 states that provide all-payer data for years 2017 through 2019. Due to the highly variable impact of the pandemic on hospital outcomes, Healthgrades made the decision to exclude cases with a COVID-19 diagnosis from the 2020 data in order to preserve the statistical integrity of our models and fairly evaluate clinical outcomes at all hospitals. To view the complete methodology, please visit: https://www.healthgrades.com/quality/ratings-awards/methodology.

About CHI Saint Joseph Health
CHI Saint Joseph Health, part of Catholic Health Initiatives, is one of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the Commonwealth of Kentucky with 135 locations in 20 counties, including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies. In total, the health system serves patients in 35 counties statewide. CHI Saint Joseph Health is dedicated to building healthier communities by elevating patient care through an integrated physical and behavioral health delivery system. CHI Saint Joseph Health embodies a strong mission and faith-based heritage and works through local partnerships to expand access to care in the communities it serves.

About Saint Joseph Berea

Saint Joseph Berea is a 25-bed critical access hospital located in Berea, KY. Established in 1898 on the grounds of Berea College, the facility serves residents of Madison, Estill, Garrard, Jackson and Rockcastle counties. Saint Joseph Berea recognizes the importance of family, friends and familiar surroundings in the healing process and provides a breadth of services so that getting first-rate care doesn’t have to mean being far from home.

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