St. Mary Medical Center ranked among Top 5% of U.S. Hospitals for clinical outcomes, according to Healthgrades

Mission Hospital, St. Joseph Hospital and St. Jude Medical Center also make 250 Best Hospitals list

APPLE VALLEY (Feb. 14, 2020) – St. Mary Medical Center was honored this week with the Healthgrades 2020 America’s 250 Best Hospitals Award.

The accolade places the Apple Valley hospital in the top 5 percent of nearly 4,500 hospitals assessed nationwide for their superior clinical performance as measured by Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems.

“Being listed as one of the country’s 250 best hospitals by Healthgrades is a testament to our commitment to providing the best care possible to our patients,” St. Mary Chief Executive Randall Castillo said. “Our physicians and caregivers take great pride in continuing a long-standing tradition of excellence in person-centered care, set forth by our founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Sisters of Providence, which we believe is reflected by these results.

“We look forward to continuing our role as stewards of health in the High Desert, especially our mission of outreach to the under-served by providing low-cost clinical care to those in need.”

Three St. Mary sister hospitals — Mission, St. Joseph and St. Jude — were also named on Healthgrades’ 250 Best Hospitals list. The four hospitals provide award-winning care in a number of specialties, including neurology, cardiology, oncology, orthopedics and women’s services. 

In late-2018, St. Mary was accredited as a primary Stroke Receiving Center — becoming the first Stroke Receiving Center in the High Desert — and in that time has treated more than 1,000 patients. This designation is bolstered by Providence’s telemedicine program that brings expertise from across the Providence system to the Apple Valley hospital.

St. Mary also features the only OB Emergency Department in the area, equipped with board-certified, in-house obstetricians and anesthesiologists 24/7. Additionally, St. Mary is the only hospital in the region with a Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  

“Hospital quality varies significantly from hospital to hospital, so it’s important for consumers to do their research and select a hospital that provides the best level of care for their specific needs,” said Brad Bowman, M.D., chief medical officer, Healthgrades. “We congratulate the recipients of Healthgrades America’s 250 Best Hospitals Award for their commitment to improving clinical outcomes for patients.”

From 2016 through 2018, patients treated in hospitals achieving the award had, on average, a 26.6 percent lower risk of dying than if they were treated in hospitals that did not receive the award, as measured across 19 rated conditions and procedures for which mortality is the outcome.* 

And during that same period, if all hospitals performed similarly to those achieving the Healthgrades America’s 250 Best Hospitals Award, 161,930 lives could potentially have been saved.

Recipients of the Healthgrades America’s 250 Best Hospitals Award stand out among the rest for overall clinical excellence across a broad spectrum of care. During the 2020 study period (2016 through 2018), these hospitals showed superior performance in clinical outcomes for patients in the Medicare population across at least 21 of 32 most common inpatient conditions and procedures — as measured by objective performance data (risk-adjusted mortality and in-hospital complications). 

To learn more about how Healthgrades determines award recipients, and for more information on Healthgrades Quality Solutions, please visit www.healthgrades.com/quality.