Beebe receives five-star rating for orthopedics

Beebe Medical Center representatives announced this week that the medical center has been ranked among the top 5 percent of all hospitals in the nation for orthopedic care. They have been rated No. 1 in Delaware and on the Delmarva Peninsula for overall orthopedic care for the past four years but wanted to improve, said Wallace Hudson, Beebe’s vice president for corporate affairs.

“We wanted to be even better,” said Hudson. “We worked with HealthGrades and the staff – nurses, therapists and doctors – in orthopedics to see where we could improve, and we have done it.”

That does not come as a shock to patient Elizabeth Skinner of Dagsboro, who had a total knee replacement is August – her second since 2004.

“Beebe has very streamlined procures,” she said, adding that the transition from surgery to home health care to physical therapy is a smooth one. “I have been impressed not only with my relationship as a patient, but I have heard from friends and members of my community. The hospital is definitely patient-oriented. They care about what the patient thinks and how they are treated.”

Skinner should know. She has also been an employee of Beebe Medical Center for the past nine years and has worked for 45 years as a nurse – the physical and demanding job that eventually led to her knee replacements.

Walter Jedrek, 81, of Rehoboth Beach also had nothing but accolades for Beebe Medical Center. Over the years, he has been seen there for his kidneys and for treatment of colon cancer, but most recently he received a hip replacement.

“I have no complaints about Beebe or any of the surgeons,” said Jedrek, specifically mentioning Drs. Paul and Spellman. “They are absolutely excellent. They have taken good care of me. I hear the ads on the radio for places in Maryland and I think, “We’ve got one here just that’s just as good.’”

In fact, Beebe may even be better. Hudson noted that Beebe Medical Center is the only hospital in all of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia to receive five-star ratings for all orthopedic procedures measured by HealthGrades. The measured procedures were total hip replacements total knee replacements, spine surgeries and hip fractures. Beebe sees and treats an average of 1,200 orthopedic-related patients per year.

The five-star rating is based on a three-year period, with this year’s 2010 awards considering information for 2006, 2007 and 2008. The ratings reflect patient outcomes in the form of mortality and rates of complications. HealthGrades rates non-federal hospitals independently based on data the hospitals submit to the government.

Beebe Medical Center also received five-star ratings for the treatment of heart attack, pneumonia, stroke, gastrointestinal bleeding and sepsis, or infection.

“It’s like a bell curve, where most people are in the middle and you have the outliers on either side,” explained Hudson. “Those outliers on the high end are five-stars. Being five-star-rated by HealthGrades means that you are consistently good over a three-year period.”

“We are honored to have earned this recognition from HealthGrades, and we are extremely proud of our Beebe team,” added Jeffrey M. Fried, Beebe Medical Center president and CEO. “Our goal at Beebe Medical Center is to continually strive to reach and maintain excellence in healthcare. This rating reflects dedication of everyone in the medical center family – our medical staff, our employees, our board of directors and our volunteers to consistently offer quality healthcare.”