Saint Joseph London Announced as Healthgrades Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Pneumonia and Heart Attack

LONDON, Ky. (Oct. 20, 2021) – Saint Joseph London is 5-star rated for pneumonia and heart attack outcomes according to new research released by Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems. This is the second time in a row Saint Joseph London has received a 5-star rating for treatment of pneumonia, and the first time that it has received a 5-star rating for treatment of heart attack.

“Hospital quality is extremely important to patients, and we are committed to providing those in our community with the best care possible,” said John Yanes, president, Saint Joseph London. “Hospitals that receive this designation have demonstrated exceptional outcomes in particular service lines and procedures, and we are honored to be recognized for treatment of pneumonia and heart attack. Congratulations to our team for this ranking; you are making a difference in the local community and in the lives of patients each and every day.”

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 Heart Attack in hospitals with 5-stars for 30-day mortality have, on average: 44.7% lower risk of dying than if they were treated in hospitals with 1-star for 30-day mortality.*
• From 2018-2020, patients treated for Heart Attack in hospitals with 1-star for 30-day mortality are, on average: 1.8 times more likely to die than if they were treated in hospitals with 5-stars for 30-day 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 Community Acquired Pneumonia in hospitals with 5-stars for in-hospital mortality have, on average: 74.9% lower risk of dying than if they were treated in hospitals with 1-star for in-house mortality.*
• From 2018-2020, patients treated for Community Acquired Pneumonia in hospitals with 1-star for in-hospital mortality are, on average: 4.0 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 London

Saint Joseph London is a 150-bed full-service hospital located in London, KY. Established in 1926, the facility serves patients from southeastern Kentucky, including those from Clay, Laurel, Jackson, Whitley, Knox and Pulaski counties. The current $152 million regional hospital opened in 2010, and offers all private patient rooms, with most overlooking a small lake and garden on the 52-acre healing environment.

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