Cooper University Health Care Earns Healthgrades 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award™

Cooper is among the top 5% in the nation for patient safety for three years in a row (2019-2021).

Cooper University Health Care announced today that it has earned a Healthgrades 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ – the third year in a row we have earned the award. This distinction places Cooper among the top 5% of all short-term acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading marketplace connecting patients and providers.

“Earning the Patient Safety Excellence Award three years in a row is an outstanding achievement by our team, which demonstrates Cooper’s commitment and success in delivering the safest and most effective medical care to our patients,” said Kevin O’Dowd, JD, co-CEO of Cooper.

“As a leading academic health system in the region, our entire team is committed to providing advanced, safe care to our patients; and earning this award three years in a row demonstrates to our patients that they can trust Cooper for safe and effective health care,” said Anthony J. Mazzarelli, MD, JD, MBE, co-CEO of Cooper.

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

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

“The importance of hospital quality is now at the forefront of consumer’s minds, especially as we continue to navigate COVID-19. 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,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Healthgrades.

During the study period (2017 through 2019), Healthgrades 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient hospitals demonstrated excellent performance in patient safety within the Medicare population, as measured by objective outcomes—risk-adjusted patient safety indicator (PSI) rates—for 13 PSIs defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). A 14th PSI is included in the evaluation – Foreign Objects Left in Body During a Surgery or Procedure – which is a “never” event and does not have an expected rate. View Healthgrades hospital quality methodologies.

*Statistics are calculated from Healthgrades Patient Safety Ratings and Excellence Award methodology which is based primarily on AHRQ technical specifications (Version 2020.0.1) to MedPAR data for years 2017 through 2019 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only.