Providence’s San Fernando Valley hospitals earn top award for Patient Safety Excellence

The three Providence hospitals in the San Fernando Valley were recognized today with the Healthgrades 2024 Patient Safety Excellence Award, placing them in the top 5% of acute care hospitals evaluated nationwide for an emphasis on safety.

Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills earned the award for the fourth straight year; Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, three years; and a first for Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center.

“Our commitment to the highest levels of safety is a priority for everyone, from the surgeons in our operating rooms to the staff cleaning our patients’ rooms,” said Karl Keeler, chief executive, Providence Los Angeles-San Fernando Valley Service Area. “Our patients entrust us with their care and that includes providing the safest environment.”

Leaders across the three hospitals credited their commitment to safety to adoption of a culture of “high reliability” that has influenced efforts to recognize that health care workers’ greatest responsibility is the safety of their patients, visitors and one another. Clinical caregivers are required to take part in this training, which emphasizes safety and teaches techniques and behaviors that have been proven to reduce error and to improve safety in high-stress environments, including health care.

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 2020-22 study period, nearly 170,000 potentially preventable safety events occurred among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals, with four patient safety indicators accounting for close to 75% 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)

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