Johnston Health Achieves Healthgrades 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award

Johnston Health in the top 5% in the Nation for Patient Safety

Smithfield, NC (May 11, 2021) – Johnston Health has been recognized as a Healthgrades 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award TM recipient. This distinction places Johnston Health 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.

From 2017 through 2019, there were 190,273 potentially preventable patient safety events among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals.* And, if all hospitals, as a group, performed similarly to hospitals performing better than expected on each of 13 Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) evaluated by Healthgrades, on average, 106,052 patient safety events could have been avoided.*

During this time frame, four patient safety indicators accounted for 72 percent of all patient safety events (collapsed lung, hip fracture due to an in-hospital fall, pressure or bed sores and catheter-related bloodstream infections). 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.*

“Receiving this award reflects our organization’s unwavering commitment to providing safe, quality care and an excellent experience for all of our patients and especially during the pandemic,” says Tom Williams, CEO and president of Johnston Health. “Our teams continually strive to improve processes, always with the goal of ensuring that patients receive the best care leading to the best possible outcome.”

“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.

Most recently, Johnston Health put into place new protocols in the emergency departments for quickly identifying and treating patients with symptoms of stroke. On hospital floors, care teams get patients moving and up on their feet earlier in their stays to shorten recovery times, and do more frequent skin checks to prevent bed sores. Also, a team of tele-sitters monitor and talk with patients who may be at risk of getting out of bed and falling.

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 14 th 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.

About Johnston Health
Johnston Health has been Johnston County’s primary health care system since 1951. Based in Smithfield,
with a second location in Clayton, the hospital is an integral part of the county’s growth and
development. Johnston Health is committed to its community, focused on top-notch health care, and
invested in well-being. Its core purpose is to provide quality, expert care to every patient who walks
through its doors. As part of the UNC Health Care System, Johnston Health holds itself to the highest
standards of quality and excellence, and is committed to bringing expert care close to home for its
community.