Community hospitals rate 5-stars in bariatric surgery

Dr. Kelvin Higa (left) is medical director of Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital's bariatric program that received a 5-star rating from HealthGrades and the Bariatric Excellence Award, putting it among the state's top five. Clovis Community Medical Center also received 5-stars for the fourh year in a row.

Two Community Medical Centers hospitals received 5-star ratings for bariatric surgery from HealthGrades, the nation’s leading independent health care ratings organization. Clovis Community Medical Center is 5-star rated for the fourth year in a row. And Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital’s new program was rated for the first time, additionally receiving a Bariatric Excellence Award™, to put it among the state’s top five hospitals.

That’s great news for Valley weight loss surgery patients. HealthGrades found that bariatric surgery patients at top-rated hospitals had, on average, a 67% lower chance of complications and spent a half day less in the hospital compared to patients at low-rated hospitals.

The HealthGrades Fourth Annual Bariatric Surgery Trends in American Hospitals Study, released July 28, identifies 88 hospitals as “best performers” – including Fresno Heart & Surgical and Clovis Community – with mortality rates, complication rates and patient lengths of stay that are dramatically lower than poorly rated hospitals.

After analyzing bariatric surgery results in 19 states that provide complete information, HealthGrades found that hospitals with higher volumes of bariatric surgeries (greater than 375 cases in three years) had a much lower risk of patient complications. Fresno Heart & Surgical and Clovis Community far exceeded that benchmark indicating surgeons are experts and have proven safety records.

Dr. Edward Felix, medical director of Clovis Community’s bariatric surgery program, credits the medical center’s 10 years of experience for the continued excellence. The surgical teams at Clovis helped pioneer bariatric techniques, he said. “One of the most important things in bariatric surgery is not just doing the surgery well, but recognizing when there are complications and being able to react quickly and expertly to those complications. In eight years, we haven’t had a death in over 6,000 cases we’ve done here.”

Dr. Felix also praised the Clovis nursing team – in the operating room, recovery and on the medical-surgical floor – for its experience with bariatric patients. “Finally it’s the willingness of the Clovis hospital to get us, as bariatric surgeons, what we need, whether it’s bigger furniture and gurneys or bigger imaging equipment, like a CT scanner that can hold 600 pounds,” he added.

Wanda Holderman, Fresno Heart & Surgical’s chief executive officer, marveled at how quickly the hospital’s bariatric & metabolic surgery program, which began in fall 2005, achieved results. “Hospital staff and leadership embraced the plan whole-heartedly, have endeavored to excel, and have accomplished many a milestone since that time, including this prestigious HealthGrades recognition. I am so pleased with everyone’s cooperation and commitment.”

Dr. Kelvin Higa, medical director of Fresno Heart & Surgical’s minimally invasive and bariatric surgery, seconded those sentiments.

“This honor is not just an "award”, but an achievement,” Higa said. “The administration and staff of the Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital earned this distinction through their dedication and commitment to treating patients and families afflicted with the disease of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital has distinguished itself among its peers by providing patients with the highest level of quality and service in the Central Valley.”

This latest award builds on Fresno Heart & Surgical’s 5-star reputation. The hospital earned “Best in the Region for cardiac services” accolades two years in a row with 5-star ratings from HeatlhGrades in cardiac bypass surgery in 2007 and for treatment of heart attacks in both 2007 and 2008. (The 2009 cardiac designation has yet to be announced.)

The hospital also received HealthGrades’ Outstanding Patient Experience Award for the past two years, placing it among the top 5% of hospitals nationally based on patient surveys that ask about cleanliness, noise levels, responsiveness, service and communication from staff.

Fresno Heart & Surgical was one of only 46 hospitals nationwide to receive the Bariatric Surgery Excellence AwardTM.

“It is critical for patients to carefully evaluate the quality of the hospital where they will have their surgery,” said Dr. Rick May, a senior physician consultant with HealthGrades and a co-author of its bariatric study. “Hospitals designated as 5-star for bariatric surgery are obviously doing things differently to obtain the high-quality patient outcomes they are getting.”

For this study, HealthGrades analyzed 153,355 bariatric procedures performed in the years 2005, 2006 and 2007. The states included in the study are Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. The full study and individual hospital ratings for bariatric surgery and other procedures can be found at www.healthgrades.com.

This story was reported by Erin Kennedy. She can be reached at ekennedy@communitymedical.org.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009