Healthgrades Bestows Top Ranking on UAMS for Brain Surgery, Treatment of Heart Failure, Pneumonia, Respiratory Failure
| LITTLE ROCK — Healthgrades, the leading resource used by consumers to find a health care provider, today bestowed five stars — its highest rating — on the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) for its treatment of heart failure, pneumonia and respiratory failure, and — for the third consecutive year — cranial neurosurgery, or brain surgery.
The national ratings for specialty care place UAMS in the upper echelon of hospitals across the country that provide those services and signify UAMS’ commitment to consistently delivering the best care possible in each specialty area.
“We are grateful for the recognition of our commitment to high-quality care,” said Michelle Krause, M.D., senior vice chancellor of UAMS Health and CEO of UAMS Medical Center.
The 2024 hospital assessment evaluated patient mortality and complication rates for 35 common conditions and procedures at about 4,500 hospitals nationwide, to identify the top performers.
“We have a team of superb physicians who care for heart and lung patients,” said Edward T.H. Yeh, M.D., professor and chair of the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine. “A five-star rating gives them well-deserved applause and recognition.”
“I am delighted that our dedicated heart failure team has received this recognition from Healthgrades,” said John P. Mounsey, M.D., a professor and chair of the UAMS Division of Cardiology in the Department of Internal Medicine. “I am sure that this is the result of our multidisciplinary approach to heart failure emphasizing both holistic care of patients and emerging high-tech treatment options.”
The cranial neurosurgery five-star rating is UAMS’ third in as many years.
“This prestigious recognition reflects our unwavering dedication to treating and improving the quality of life for those with brain tumors, aneurysms, epilepsy, stroke and movement disorders,” said T. Glenn Pait, M.D., interim chair of the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Neurosurgery.
“Our surgeons have not only pushed the boundaries of surgical science but brought relief and hope to countless patients and their families,” Pait said. “UAMS neurosurgeons’ extraordinary abilities, innovative approaches and surgical expertise have earned this well-deserved honor.”
Healthgrades evaluates hospitals solely on clinical outcomes: risk-adjusted mortality and complications. By focusing on patient outcomes, the ratings provide critical feedback for both patients and hospitals. The objective performance measures gives consumers the information they need to find a hospital that excels in providing the care they need.
The 2024 Healthgrades analysis revealed that the variation in performance between five-star and one-star hospitals continues to widen, making it increasingly important to seek care at top-rated programs, Healthgrades said.
“From 2020 through 2022, if all hospitals as a group performed similarly to five-star hospitals, on average, 215,667 lives could potentially have been saved, and 149,521 patients could have avoided potential complications,” it said, citing its evaluation of MedPAR data for 2020 through 2022, which it said represents three-year estimates for Medicare patients only.
“Healthgrades congratulates UAMS for being a national leader and demonstrating a deep commitment to providing high-quality care to all patients,” said Brad Bowman, M.D., chief medical officer and head of data science at Healthgrades. “As health systems nationwide endeavor to elevate their quality of care, these elite facilities provide a roadmap for success. We commend UAMS for their dedication to excellence in patient care.”
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###