Houston Northwest Medical Center's Bariatric Program Rated Top 15% in the Nation by He...( ...),Health

HOUSTON, July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study from HealthGrades, an independent healthcare ratings organization, finds that Houston Northwest Medical Center has received a Five-Star Rating and has been rated among the top 15% of hospitals nationwide for Bariatric Surgery in 2009/2010.

HealthGrades today released The HealthGrades Fourth Annual Bariatric Surgery Trends in American Hospitals Study, which analyzes patient outcomes for the most common weight loss procedures including gastric bypass, less invasive laparoscopic procedures including gastric banding, malabsorbtive procedures and combined malabsorbtive/restrictive procedures. The study found that wide gaps in patient outcomes for bariatric surgery exist. If all hospitals performed at the level of a Five-Star rated hospital, 4,510 patients could have potentially avoided one or more major inhospital complications from 2005 to 2007.

"Striving to provide the highest possible standards for bariatric patients through surgical expertise and patient care is important to improving quality throughout the industry and building a healthier community," says Terry Kirk, chief nursing officer at Houston Northwest Medical Center.

Houston Northwest is one of only 88 hospitals in the 19 states studied identified as a "top" performer (five-star rated), with mortality rates, complication rates and patient lengths of stay that are dramatically lower than poorly rated hospitals. The hospital is one of only 15 hospitals in the state of Texas to receive a Five-Star rating for Bariatric Surgery treatment this year.

"Houston Northwest Medical Center is proud to be recognized as a Five Star rated hospital," says Philip Leggett, MD, co-medical director of the bariatric surgery program and bariatric surgeon on the medical staff at Houston Northwest Medical Center.

"The bariatric surger
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