Cape Cod Hospital Wins Patient Safety Excellence Award

HYANNIS, MA — Cape Cod Hospital received recognition for its patient safety standards by Healthgrades. The Hyannis hospital won the Healthgrades 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award.

The distinction places Cape Cod Hospital among the top 5 percent of all short-term acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data. Cape Cod Hospital was the only Massachusetts hospital Healthgrades placed in the top 5 percent.

"We have an unwavering focus on clinical quality and safe patient care, and this designation is proof," said Cape Cod Healthcare CEO Michael Lauf. "Providing an outstanding patient experience remained our focus during COVID-19, and the contributions of all hospital staff were invaluable —from physicians, nurses, techs and staff — who put in the hard work in order to achieve this award. We have an incredible team."

From 2017 through 2019, there were 190,273 potentially preventable patient safety events among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals. According to Healthgrades, if all hospitals performed similarly to better-than-expected hospitals on each of 13 patient safety indicators evaluated by Healthgrades, 106,052 patient safety events could have been avoided, on average.

During this time, four patient safety indicators accounted for 72 percent of all patient safety events: collapsed lung, hip fracture due to an in-hospital fall, pressure or bed sores and catheter-related bloodstream infections.

Healthgrades found that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Healthgrades 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average:

• 50.3 percent less likely to experience a collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at other hospitals
• 60.3 percent less likely to experience an in-hospital fall resulting in hip fracture, than patients treated at other hospitals
• 66.5 percent less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at other hospitals
• 65.4 percent less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at other hospitals

"The importance of hospital quality is now at the forefront of consumer's minds, especially as we continue to navigate COVID-19," said Dr. Brad Bowman, the chief medical officer at Healthgrades. "We congratulate the recipients of the Healthgrades 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award for their ongoing commitment to upholding the highest quality standards for their patients and communities."

See Healthgrades hospital quality methodologies here.