Skaggs ranks in top 5 percent for women's care

A national survey places Skaggs Regional Medical Center in the top 5 percent of hospitals for women’s care.

Independent health ratings organization HealthGrades on Wednesday released its study of 7 million hospitalization records for close to 5,000 hospitals – covering all nonmilitary hospitals in the country, according to a HealthGrades news release. Records were from 2006-2008.

Skaggs was one of six hospitals in Missouri to receive a Women’s Health Excellence Award, given to hospitals that rank in the top 5 percent. The designation also went to Columbia-based Boone Hospital Center; Christian Hospital and Missouri Baptist Medical Center in St. Louis; SSM Saint Joseph Hospital of Kirkwood; and St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield.

Thirty states had at least one hospital that ranked in the top 5 percent, while six states had hospitals that made up 51 percent of the total award recipients. Florida, with 20 hospitals, had the largest number. Arkansas and Oklahoma were among the states without a top-ranking hospital.

According to the study, women have higher mortality rates than men in valve-replacement surgery (52.8 percent higher); coronary bypass surgery (36.6 percent); coronary interventional procedures (19.5 percent); and post-stroke care (5.8 percent).

Women have lower mortality rates than men when it comes to hospitalization for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (16.4 percent lower); heart failure (12.8 percent); pneumonia (10.6 percent); and heart attack (2.4 percent).