Survival Rate Statistics and Reports - Consumer Health Ratings

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Survival Rate Statistics and Reports

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Help Guide for Survival Rates Category (READ ME)

Consumers who are looking for Survival Rate information for certain illnesses and diseases will find a lot of information under the term Mortality rather than Survival. Using the term “Mortality Rate” is a long-standing tradition in the medical community. Check the Hospital Ratings category and one of the illness categories above for additional survival rate information.

Dialysis Facility Compare from medicare.gov Editor's Pick

Compare services and ratings on kidney dialysis facilities in any state or US territory, by Medicare.gov. Compare kidney dialysis centers from Fresenius FMC, DaVita, US Renal Care, American Renal Associates, Dialysis Clinic, Satellite Healthcare, Mayo, and more. They are all here. Quality measures show relative survival among facilities and quality of care provided to Medicare patients at hospital-sponsored centers, nonprofit and for-profit dialysis centers. Patient satisfaction results also shown for each dialysis center. Time periods covered were not readily disclosed. Resources on kidney failure and end stage renal disease (ESRD) also linked. Updated April 27, 2022. Part of the CareCompare services from the federal government.

Hospital Ratings at HealthGrades (all states) 2023

HealthGrades Hospital Ratings (5-star, 3-star, 1-star) for 2023 on over 30 diseases & inpatient procedures: Stroke, back surgery, COPD, diabetes, gall bladder surgery, bowel obstruction, GI Bleed, hip fracture repair, hip replacement, total knee replacement, prostate removal, TURP, hysterectomy (listed under gynecologic surgeries), respiratory failure, pneumonia, cardiac bypass, heart attack, heart failure, angioplasty, defibrillator, pacemaker, valve surgery, sepsis, pancreatitis, pulmonary embolism, abdominal aneurysm, stomach surgery, peripheral vascular bypass & more. Probably Medicare-only data for most conditions, although some states provide maternity, appendectomy, and bariatric surgery (gastric bypass) data. More extensive list than the federal government’s site. Publicly-traded company. Most data in 2023 ratings are from Medicare patients, from 2018 to 2020. Patient satisfaction ratings (2020-2021 data) are featured by HealthGrades. One hospital at time, unfortunately. No longer Editor’s Pick, since HealthGrades removed the 3-year patient volume, and actual mortality or complication rates compared to predicted. Mostly, the site shows which ratings awards were given to the hospital by HealthGrades – a fee likely was required for publicizing the award.

California Hospital Quality: Survival Rates and Mortality Ratings 2020

Find and compare California hospital quality ratings for survival and mortality for 2020 (latest available). Find risk-adjusted mortality (death) rates for each CA hospital, and the number of inpatient cases in 2020, as well as in prior years. California statewide mortality rate in 2020 for hip fracture was 1.5%, pneumonia 6.3% (more than doubling), PCI (angioplasty) 3.9%, heart attack (AMI) 5.9%, heart failure 2.9%, acute stroke 8.5%, GI hemorrhage (bleed) 2.8%, pancreatic resection 2.3%, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair and other procedures. Report by CA Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (oshpd) shows whether hospitals were similar to state average, or significantly better or significantly worse survival rates; published May 2022. Using the filters in the interactive version may be difficult for some consumers.

Organ Transplants – Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network

Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) is a secure transplant information database that has all national data on the candidate waiting list, organ donation and matching, and transplantation. Transplant survival rates on a regional basis (1-year, 3-year, 5-year) are compared to national; kidney, pancreas, liver, heart, lung, intestine. Blood type, age, sex and many other comparisons are available. Volume of transplants by transplant center updated year-to-date 2022.

Transplant Waiting List Editor's Pick

Waiting list numbers of people waiting for a transplant: Kidney, pancreas, liver, intestine, heart, lung transplants. In May 2022, about 90,000 people were waiting for a kidney (18,000 in California alone) and 11,000 for a liver. Survival rates shown by age, sex and ethnicity.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Statistics

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) statistics from the Centers for Disease Control. In 2018-2019, suicide was the leading cause of TBI deaths, accounting for more than 1/3. Falls accounted for 30% of TBI-related deaths. A lot of useful information, except no facts about healthcare costs are included.

Other Helpful Listings

ACS Meritorious Hospitals for Surgery Outcomes in 2021

New list shows 78 hospitals that achieved “meritorious” outcomes for surgical patient care in 2021. They were selected from over 600 hospitals participating in the ACS (American College of Surgeons) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP®). Most of the hospitals getting the award are in the United States; some are in Canada or Australia. Hospitals are recognized in either (or both) the “All Cases” category, or for “High Risk” cases only. Some hospitals have received this distinction for consecutive years. Scores and types of surgery are not disclosed. However, one can be confident that the ACS did a fair and professional comparison of hospital performance in surgery. Among the criteria were infections and survival rates. Published November 2022.

America’s Best Hospitals list (Medicare) 2023 from HealthGrades

HealthGrades 2023 list of America’s 250 Best Hospitals shows their choice for the top 50 hospitals and 100 best and top 250 hospitals in the US. List is based on clinical quality for Medicare patients over 3 years ending 2021. It shows which hospitals have held clinical excellence in consecutive years over “an extended period of time” (top 1%), and those in the top 2%. The 250 best hospitals (top 5%) were formerly known as receiving the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence. HealthGrades examined complication rates or survival rates for 32 diagnoses (such as heart failure, COPD, pneumonia, stroke, diabetes, pancreatitis, sepsis) or surgical procedures (such as hip or knee replacement, gall bladder removal, back surgery, bowel obstruction, prostatectomy, angioplasty, valve surgery, and heart bypass). Hospitals are listed by state; not all states had hospitals that ranked in the top 5%. Published Jan. 2023.

California: CalHospitalCompare.org – Hospital Quality Ratings & Patient Satisfaction

CalHospitalCompare shows California hospital quality ratings for cancer surgery, heart care, hip and knee, gallbladder infections, surgery volume, pneumonia, COPD, stroke, preventing surgical infections & complications, maternity care including c-sections and VBAC, emergency department and patient opinion ratings, readmissions; some mortality/survival rates. Dates of data are hard to find (click on the red question marks when at the hospital report). When reported, most contain 2020-2021 data. Number of cancer cases is labeled as both 2014 and 2020, which is confusing. Compare hospitals side by side to find Superior Hospitals. Hospitals may be the best in one area but not in another. When viewing hospital report, click on View All, or you’ll miss most of the information. Cal Hospital Compare is supported by IBM Watson Health.

CDC – MRSA Bloodstream Infections

MRSA Bloodstream Infections have been declining in healthcare settings, but still account for significant mortality. According to the CDC MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), there were almost 120,000 MRSA infections in 2017. The in-hospital mortality was about 18%. Published March 8, 2019. Additional, but older, information is available in AHRQ Statistical Brief #35 Infections with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in U.S. Hospitals, 1993–2005 (published in 2007). The statistical brief analyzes 2004 hospitalizations and costs at a time when there were 300,000 or more MRSA infections per year.

Colorado Hospital Quality Ratings, Report Card

Find hospital ratings and report card on quality in Colorado. Click on View Report Card Website. See hospital-specific data on mortality (survival rates) and volume. Mortality Measures show survival rate information for heart care (heart failure, heart attack AMI), pneumonia, stroke, hip fracture, or bleeding stomach (GI). Compare CO hospitals on Patient Safety bedsores (pressure sores/ decubitus ulcer), post-surgical blood clots (DVT, PE), sepsis (bloodstream infections). Most measures show 2020 data. Search by hospital, or select Denver, or one of four other regions. Number of falls are in nursing-sensitive measures. Some year-to-date 2022 data. Report Card website by the Colorado Hospital Association at cha.com and cohospitalquality.org. Updated 2022. Reports on infections have been moved to the CO state website. Note: the Mozilla browser may not work for some users. Here is an alternate link for the site.

Healthgrades – Hospital Awards for Patient Safety Excellence, 2023

Healthgrades 2023 awards for patient safety excellence lists top 10% (445) hospitals. These hospitals are distinguished for their patient safety, using 2019 to 2021 Medicare patient information. Hospitals were evaluated on 14 types of preventable patient safety incidents, such as leaving foreign objects behind during surgery, pressure ulcers [bedsores], accidental cuts during medical care; deep blood clots, collapsed lung pneumothorax, postoperative hip fracture, bloodstream infection, deaths after surgical complications, and postop sepsis. Annual study released March 2023 by Healthgrades.

Hospital Compare – at medicare.gov (all states) Hospital star ratings, complications Editor's Pick

Visit Hospital Compare to find hospital star ratings and complications for hospitals in all states. Compare 3 hospitals at one time. Federal government (at medicare.gov) gives 1 to 5 stars and compares hospital ratings for heart attack (AMI), heart failure, pneumonia, COPD, stroke, hip & knee, preventing infections and surgical complications, timeliness of Emergency (ER) dept., use of medical imaging. Most data are from calendar 2021, but may vary by measure. Includes death rate comparisons from heart failure, heart attack, pneumonia, COPD, stroke, CABG; and return to hospital (readmission) rates. Click on Timely & Effective Care, or Complications. Shows patient satisfaction HCAHPS ratings (patient experience opinions) from 2021. Some info on colonoscopies and cataracts. Editor’s Pick because it’s the best of what is out there. The federal government standardized broad ratings for all hospitals, and most ratings are based on more than just Medicare patients. Small volume hospitals will not show data for some measures. Graphs are no longer available. Today’s stars may reflect older data than shown at the website. Read the fine print. Updated October 2022.

Illinois Hospital and Ambulatory Surgery Center Ratings and Prices (IDPH)

Illinois hospital and ambulatory surgery center ratings and prices, from IDPH. Compare IL hospitals on patient satisfaction ratings; heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical infection prevention, knee arthroscopy, cardiac surgery, safety measures, infection rates, some survival information, more. See volume and 2019-2020 median charges (closest you’ll get to average cost) for selected types of inpatients (e.g. birth, c-section, appendectomy, COPD, gall bladder), and outpatients at ambulatory surgery centers (such as arthroscopy priced at $42,000 average in IL), bunionectomy (which had a statewide list price at $23, 374), hernia repair ($24,600), colonoscopy ($7,400), lens, lumpectomy, tonsillectomy (almost $15,000). Prices may be found under the SERVICES tab after you select the hospital or facility. May get a full report for one hospital or ambulatory surgery center at a time, or one measure at a time for multiple facilities side-by-side, with state averages. Hospital Report Card by IL Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) for all IL cities incl. Chicago area, Peoria, Rockford, Springfield, Champaign. Updated with 2018-2020 prices, 2019 and 2020 quality data, and 2019 patient satisfaction scores. Add medical inflation costs of 10%.

Leapfrog – Minimum Volume Surgery Recommendations (Evidence-based Hospital Referral) Editor's Pick

The Leapfrog Group has Evidence-Based Hospital Referral Safety Standards that include recommended minimum volumes for certain surgical procedures. They include minimum annual hospital volumes as follows: 50 procedures for knee replacement (minimum 25 for a surgeon), minimum 50 hospital procedures for hip replacement (minimum 25 for surgeon), 40 mitral valve repair and replacement (minimum 20 for a surgeon), minimum 10 open aortic procedures (10 for surgeon), minimum 20 for pancreatic resections for cancer (10 for surgeon), esophageal resection 20 (7 for surgeon); 40 minimum for lung resections (15 per surgeon); minimum 50 bariatric surgery for weight loss (20 for surgeon); minimum 20 carotid endarterectomy (10 for surgeon) and other volume standards for rectal cancer, open aortic procedures and the Norwood procedure (infant heart). Read about the specifics, then go to the Hospital Quality Ratings category, and check the Leapfrog data for information on your local hospitals. Updated April 2022.

Nevada Hospital and ER Ratings and Patient Satisfaction Scores

Compare Nevada hospital ratings, ER care, and patient satisfaction scores. NV hospital performance ratings on Emergency care, mortality for Heart care, pneumonia, stroke, and COPD; infections, adverse events (mistakes), plus patient opinion ratings. Shows 2020-2021 data. Click on the green “ABOUT” button on each measure to see the data collection dates for each measure. Some measures may be the same as at CMS Hospital Compare website, but dates may vary. Consumers may view 3 or more hospitals side-by-side. When updated December 2022, the Patient Satisfaction ratings were not always working properly. Nevada Hospital Association website.

New Jersey Hospital Quality Assessment – heart, pneumonia, infections

Compare NJ hospitals on Heart Attacks, Heart Failure, Pneumonia, and Infection Prevention for surgery, cardiac bypass grafts, surgical infections; central line (CLABSI) and catheter (CAUTI) infections prepared by the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services. Mortality ratings for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, stroke, and CABG are also shown. Patient Safety Indicators, Infections, and most other reports use 2021 quality assessment data. Some outpatient measures are included. NJ Dept. of Health prepares the NJ Hospital Quality Assessment.

New York State Hospital Quality Ratings – health.ny.gov

Find hospital ratings on quality in New York state. Select NY hospitals to compare in care areas like maternity, emergency department waiting time, post-op complications, cardiac, patient satisfaction, readmissions, death rates or infection prevention. Data are pretty old and very hard to find (hover over the hospital’s score, or see the dates on the Printable Page). Most data are from somewhere between 2017 and 2020. Patient satisfaction, if reported, reflects 2020 scores. Services include maternity (2017 scores) and volumes for some types of surgery (e.g. endoscopy, colonoscopy, hernia repair) and procedure counts for MRI, CT, cancer chemotherapy and psych evaluations. Many measures (e.g. surgery complications and mortality) and volume data go back to 2017. New York State Department of Health (health.ny.gov) site NY Health Profiles. You can select hospitals to compare, to see performance measures side by side.

Pennsylvania Hospital Performance Report 2021 | PHC4 Editor's Pick

Find hospital performance reports in Pennsylvania for 2021, through PHC4. Compare PA hospitals on Mortality Rating (relative survival rate), Average Charge (price), and Readmission rates. Thirteen (13) conditions in the reports include heart failure, abnormal heartbeat, heart attack, stroke, intestinal obstruction, COPD, diabetes, kidney failure, urinary tract infections, sepsis, blood clot in lung, chest pain, and respiratory failure. As an example, there were 57,037 sepsis cases in Pennsylvania in 2020-2021, with an average mortality rate of 10.9%. (In the prior year report, those with Covid were separated. The sepsis patients with Covid, led to a 27.9% mortality rate in the prior year). The average charge for Sepsis was $73,112. (In a separate report, you can find that Medicare most often paid an average $12,830 for sepsis.) About 18% were readmitted. There were 24 hospitals that had worse mortality than expected for sepsis; and 18 hospitals that had significantly lower mortality than expected. Symbols for Mortality ratings can be confusing – a higher mortality rating means worse survival. Older reports may have laparoscopic gallbladder removal information and pneumonia information. No orthopedic (hip or knee) surgery included. Data from Oct. 2020 to Sept. 2021, published by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4), December 2022.

Sepsis: What you should know

The Sepsis page from CDC identifies what you should know about severe sepsis. Written for lay people. Over 1.7 million people in the US get sepsis each year, with about 270,000 deaths from it annually. Death rates are high. CDC estimates that 1 in 3 in-hospital deaths are due to sepsis. Click Educational Information to find more resources for patients and families.

In a 2014 study of nearly 174,000 sepsis patients, linked at the site, hospital mortality was 25.5% among patients with hospital-onset sepsis, compared to 13.4% for patients with sepsis present on admission. The adjusted in-hospital mortality rate was 15.6%. Death rates for septic patients were higher for older patients, men, teaching hospitals, and larger hospital. [Rhee, et al., published online by JAMA, September 2017]

Smoking (MedlinePlus) Editor's Pick

MedlinePlus ad-free website on smoking. According to the CDC, adults who smoke cigarettes die on average 10 years earlier than nonsmokers. Site includes topics like Tobacco-related Mortality, E-Cigarettes and vaping, Cigarettes and Nicotine, Increased Risk for Cataracts, Lung Cancer, COPD, Effects on Infertility, Statistics (nearly 13 in 100 adults smokes cigarettes), how the lungs work, and how much money you will save when you quit smoking (see Quitting Smoking). Set a date to quit.

Surgical Safety Checklist proves effective – NEJM

Surgical Safety Checklist proves to be effective, as published by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Article by Haynes, Weiser et al (including our favorite Atul Gawande MD) outlines the effectiveness of an easy-to-implement surgical checklist. The study tested the tool and approach with about 4000 patients in eight hospitals (incl. one in Seattle) in 8 countries, providing a diverse application of the checklist. Results showed significant and dramatic improvement in lowering surgical site infections, returns to OR, deaths, and complications. Very exciting stuff when published in January 2009. Now it has become standard of care. Classic article.

Texas – Inpatient Care Ratings and Charges in Texas Hospitals

Compare Inpatient Care ratings and average charges for Texas hospitals. At least two dozen separate quality ratings and patient safety ratings include patients of any payer type and pediatric ratings. Compare hospital volumes, mortality (survival rates), and certain utilization rates (i.e. cesarean section, VBAC rate). Survival rates and number of cases for heart attack (AMI), heart failure CHF, stroke, GI hemorrhage, hip fracture, and pneumonia. Select the measure from the drop-down menu in each section to find quality ratings. Volume and death rates provided for heart bypass surgery (CABG), angioplasty (PCI), AAA Repair, esophageal resection, pancreatic resection, and carotid endarterectomy. See if your hospital’s risk-adjusted rate is significantly better or worse than other hospitals. Average inpatient charges for 2019 are also listed. Medical price inflation has been about 9.5% (on average) since 2019. The average cost of a primary C-Section in TX was $19,750, or with price inflation, about $21,623 in 2022 dollars. TX Dept. of State Health Services THCIC. Updated with 2019 data, as of December 2022.

usnews.com Best Hospitals 2023-24: Pediatric and Children’s Hospitals

US News & World Report’s top pediatric hospitals for 2023-2024. Best children’s hospitals ranked and rated for pediatric cancer; cardiology and heart surgery; diabetes and endocrinology; gastroenterology (digestive disorders) & GI surgery; neonatology; nephrology (kidney); neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; pulmonology (respiratory problems) and lung surgery; and urology. Honor roll of 10 hospitals is led by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Boston Children’s Medical Center, (second), and Texas Children’s in Houston (third). Regional pediatric ratings also available. (For example, best children’s hospital in the Mid-Atlantic region was Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.) Ratings called Best Children’s Hospitals updated June 2023. Detailed hospital scores and ranking for individual measures such as survival, are in the Methodology report. Consumers can compare children’s hospital scores side-by-side in Appendix C.

Vermont – 2022 Hospital Report Cards (Act 53)

Vermont 2022 hospital ratings are called Act 53 report cards – legislation passed in 2003, requiring VT hospitals to publish annual community reports about hospital quality, safety, financial health, costs for services and more. This government site links the data, including outpatient prices. See if your VT hospital is average, above average, or below average. Health conditions include heart care, pneumonia, surgical infection prevention, central line associated bloodstream infections, c. diff. infections, hysterectomy infections, knee replacement and hip replacement infection rates, volume and death rates, readmissions, psychiatric hospital quality & more. This site permits access to Quality Ratings, Survival Rate information, links to patient satisfaction and current medical prices all on the same web page for easy access. Nurse staffing also available for 2022 for most hospitals. Dates for other reports vary, usually up to 2021 data. Information on prices for some procedures, and services such as physician office visits also available. Published at healthvermont.gov August 2022.

Wisconsin CheckPoint – Hospital Ratings and Patient Opinions Editor's Pick

Wisconsin CheckPoint helps you compare hospital quality performance and patient opinion ratings for 127 hospitals in WI. Topics: Birth and C-Section delivery, infections, readmissions; deaths (mortality) data, patient satisfaction, patient safety. Many conditions are rated, such as heart attack, heart failure, CABG and PTCA; pneumonia, surgical post-op infections, hip and knee surgery, vascular, colon surgery and hysterectomy; COPD, pneumonia; patient safety problems such as falls and pressure ulcers.

Also see how many patients would definitely recommend the hospital. (Ratings are listed under Patient Experience.) Compare hospitals on how many patients “understood their care when they left hospital”. Statewide, only 56% said they understood their care during 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2021, down 2 points from 2019. Eighteen (18) hospitals had fewer than half their patients understanding their care when they left the hospital: Marshfield Medical Center (hospitals in Marshfield, Neillsville, Beaver Dam, Rice Lake and Weston); Beloit Health System, Ascension hospitals (St. Francis and Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee, All Saints Racine, Ozaukee, Mequon), Reedsburg Medical Center, Mayo Clinic Oakridge in Osseo, HSHS St. Nicholas in Sheboygan, Aspirus hospitals (Medford Portage and Rhinelander), Froedert in Kenosha and ThedaCare in New London. Statewide, 29 hospitals significantly under-performed (one-star) on this measure compared to the state average.

Congratulations goes to Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County in Darlington, for achieving 100% healthcare staff influenza vaccination during the 2021-2022 season. At the other end of the spectrum, Hudson Hospital & Clinic came in at an abysmal and embarrassing 41% staff vaccination rate. Ten other hospitals may have been in that low range also, since they chose not to publicly report.

Rankings are shown by stars (one, two, or 3 stars), and consumers can switch to numbers by clicking ‘Show Rates”. Many individual measures reflect 2021-2022 scores. Long-term trends lines are shown for each hospital, measure by measure, and the number of cases for that illness or surgery. Wisconsin Hospital Association makes quarterly updates. WHA receives Editor’s Pick for going beyond CMS measures, for showing all hospitals side-by-side, consumer ease in getting a free overall quality report for one hospital, staying current, and showing comparisons to the benchmark best in the state. Updated 2022.