A new analysis by Healthgrades shows the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences ranks among the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide for cranial neurosurgery.
Healthgrades, a resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems, awarded UAMS a 2022 Cranial Neurosurgery Excellence Award, which recognizes hospitals with superior clinical outcomes in cranial neurosurgery, commonly called brain surgery.
“Achieving this award validates our efforts to make sure that Arkansans have access to the most up-to-date surgical technology and surgical options available for treatment of brain tumors, brain aneurysms, movement disorders and epilepsy,” said Dr. John D. Day, chair of the UAMS Department of Neurosurgery. “I have made it my mission that UAMS offers the best treatment outcomes in the state and the region for patients with problems requiring brain surgery,” Day said. “This acknowledgment of our success in achieving this goal is very gratifying.”
Healthgrades also honored UAMS as a Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Stroke. Brain surgery and strokes are two of 31 inpatient procedures and conditions on which Healthgrades annually evaluates the performance of nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide, using more than 45 million Medicare claims for the most recent three-year period available.
The ratings are independent and impartial. Hospitals can neither opt-in or opt-out, nor can they submit their own data. Healthgrades has been rating hospitals for 23 years. It recognizes a hospital’s quality achievements for cohort-specific performance, specialty area performance and overall clinical quality.
From 2018 through 2020, the most recent period for which data is available, patients treated at hospitals receiving the Cranial Neurosurgery Excellence Award had, on average, a 35.9 percent lower risk of dying than if they were treated in hospitals that did not receive the award, according to Healthgrades.
“We want to provide information to make finding a health care specialist an easier experience for consumers,” said Brad Bowman, M.D., chief medical officer and head of data science for the company. “Patients can feel confident knowing that hospitals that are recognized for their performance in cranial neurosurgery provide high-quality care and superior outcomes.”
