NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – Southcoast Health announced today that it has achieved the Healthgrades 2015 Women’s Health Excellence Award™ according to Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. Southcoast is the only hospital in Bristol County to be recognized, and one of eight in the entire Commonwealth.

The recognition distinguishes Southcoast as a top-performing hospital in women’s health services which includes cardiac care, vascular surgery, stroke care, pulmonary care and orthopedic surgery.

“At Southcoast, we are committed to providing comprehensive services to all our patients at every stage of their lives,” said Keith A. Hovan, President & CEO of Southcoast Health. “For women, that means not only providing excellent obstetric and gynecological services, but top-notch cardiovascular, orthopedic and other care that addresses their unique needs. We are exceptionally proud to receive the 2015 Women’s Health Excellence Award from Healthgrades as it validates our work as the region’s leading healthcare provider.”

Healthgrades is an independent healthcare ratings organization. To identify the 2015 Women’s Health Excellence Award recipients, it examined hospitalization records from 2011 through 2013 for female patients at the nation’s non-government hospitals that treat Medicare patients. The data is risk-adjusted, which takes into account differing levels of illness severity at different hospitals and allows for hospitals to be compared fairly. Hospitals cannot opt out of this analysis, and no hospital pays to be evaluated.

“The identification and treatment of medical conditions for women is very different than diagnosing and treating men, therefore it is vitally important that women understand their risks and select a hospital accordingly,” said Evan Marks, Chief Strategy Officer, Healthgrades.  “The Healthgrades 2015 Women’s Health Excellence Award recipients have demonstrated exceptional performance and a dedicated approach to delivering superior quality care for women.”

According to Healthgrades, Southcoast has also been recognized as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care for four years in a row (2012-2015), Cardiac Surgery for three straight years (2012-2014) and Pulmonary Care in (2015). Southcoast is a recipient of the Healthgrades® Patient Safety Excellence Award™ (2014-2015), as well.

To see the complete Healthgrades 2015 Report on Women’s Health, including full methodology, please visit: www.healthgrades.com/quality.

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