TROY—Premier Health’s Upper Valley Medical Center (UVMC) has received the Healthgrades 2024 Patient Safety Excellence Award.

This is UVMC’s eighth consecutive year to earn this distinction, which places it among the top 5% of all short-term acute care hospitals, as evaluated by Healthgrades.

“This distinction reflects the UVMC providers’ and staff’s ongoing dedication to providing quality care to our patients,” said Kevin Harlan, president of UVMC. “We believe this underscores the peace of mind that our patients and families can have in knowing that they and their loved ones are in good hands at UVMC and Premier Health.”

Healthgrades reported that the Patient Safety Excellence Award recognizes hospitals for preventing serious patient injuries, avoiding preventable complications and eliminating harm throughout the hospital.

“Upper Valley Medical Center has cultivated an outstanding safety culture that prioritizes the well-being of both patients and staff, setting a high standard for patient safety nationwide,” Brad Bowman, MD, chief medical officer and head of data science at Healthgrades, said. “We’re proud to recognize UVMC for providing top-quality care while preventing serious injuries to patients during their hospital stay.”

Healthgrades evaluated risk-adjusted complication and mortality rates for approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide to determine this year’s top-performing hospitals for patient safety. During the study period, nearly 170,000 potentially preventable safety events occurred among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals, with four patient safety indicators accounting for nearly 75 percent of these incidents.

Healthgrades’ analysis revealed that patients treated in hospitals receiving the 2024 Patient Safety Excellence Award have a significantly lower chance of experiencing one of the four leading safety indicators than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals:

● In-hospital fall resulting in fracture (approximately 52% less likely)

● Collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest (approximately 56% less likely)

● Pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital (approximately 67% less likely)

● Catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital (approximately 71% less likely)

To learn more about how Healthgrades measures hospital quality, visit healthgrades.com.