South County Hospital Ranked Top in RI for Surgical Care

South County Hospital was rated top in Rhode Island for its outstanding surgical care, according to Consumer Reports. The publication ranked hospitals nationwide based on avoiding adverse events in Medicare-covered patients during their hospital stay for surgery. Specifically, Consumer Reports based its rankings on the percentage of any hospital’s surgery patients who died in the hospital or stayed longer than expected, which research shows is often associated with complications. 

“We are pleased that our surgical care practices have been recognized as top in the state,” said Lou Giancola, president and CEO of South County Hospital Healthcare System. “This exceptional ranking speaks to the high level of quality surgical care provided to our patients.” 
 
To develop the ratings, Consumer Reports worked with MPA, a health care consulting firm with expertise in helping hospitals use information to improve patient safety. The analysis looked at Medicare claims data from 2009 through 2011 for patients undergoing 27 categories of common, scheduled surgeries. For each hospital, the results for all procedures were combined into an overall surgery rating. 

Click here for a full description of Consumer Reports' hospital ranking process.