Christiana Care recognized among best in the nation for orthopaedics

Christiana Care Health System has been named to the Becker’s Hospital Review’s “100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Orthopaedic Programs.”

This recognition comes on the heels of Christiana Care’s recent ranking by Becker’s as one of the “Best Hospitals for Joint Replacements in all 50 States.”

The joint replacement review is based on the 2018 Hospital Quality Rankings by CareChex, a nationally recognized medical quality rating service, which also placed Christiana Care’s joint replacement program as one of the top 25 in the nation.

“We are honored to be awarded this recognition by Becker’s Hospital Review for the excellence of our orthopaedics program,” said Brian J. Galinat, M.D., MBA, chair of Christiana Care’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Medical Director of Christiana Care’s Musculoskeletal Service Line. Dr. Galinat also sits on the Board of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.“This is a reflection of the collaborative relationship between our talented orthopaedic surgeons and our progressive hospital leadership. We are pleased to share this recognition with all of the extraordinary employees at Christiana Care who help us help our patients achieve optimal health.”

Christiana Care’s orthopaedic care programs also were distinguished by CareChex in a number of other measures within its 2018 rankings.

In CareChex’s evaluation of “Medical Excellence” in musculoskeletal care, Christiana Care is ranked:

• The No. 3 hospital in the nation for major orthopaedic surgery and No. 1 in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
• The No. 6 hospital in the nation for spinal fusion and No. 1 in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
• The No. 7 hospital in the nation for spinal surgery and No. 1 in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
• The No. 10 hospital in the nation for joint replacement care.

In CareChex’s evaluation of “Patient Safety” in orthopaedic care, Christiana Care is ranked:

• The No. 4 hospital in the nation for hip fracture care and No. 1 in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
• The No. 35 hospital in the nation for major orthopaedic surgery and No. 1 in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
• The No. 71 hospital in the nation for spinal fusion and No. 1 in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
• The No. 47 hospital in the nation for joint replacement.

Becker’s rankings factor in CareChex’s National Quality Rating Database for general, acute, non-federal U.S. hospitals, incorporating 10 quarters of Medicare claims data from January 2014 to June 2016. CareChex also uses the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems data, which provides patient satisfaction measures on physician and nurse communication, medication examination, pain control, care transition and several other areas.

According to CareChex, “Medical Excellence” is an overall measure of quality for the hospital or health system and encompasses performance across risk-adjusted mortality rates, risk-adjusted complication rates, U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) inpatient quality indicators, AHRQ patient safety indicators, core measures and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient satisfaction scores.

CareChex bases its Patient Safety measure on patient safety performance derived from the AHRQ’s patient safety indicators, according to CareChex.

Becker’s Hospital Review is a monthly publication offering business and legal news and analysis related to hospitals and health systems. Christiana Care has been recognized multiple times by Becker’s for its care programs.