Centra named among the safest hospitals in U.S.

A new survey by Forbes magazine has named Centra among the safest hospitals in the country.

Forbes editors used data collected by the private hospital rating company HealthGrades in its seventh annual study of quality and clinical excellence.

The Colorado firm identified 270 hospitals out of 5,000 that collectively had a 28 percent lower mortality rate and 8 percent lower complication rate than the national average. That list, which included Centra, reflects the top 5 percent of hospitals nationwide, the Forbes arti-cle said.

“We are excited to be named one of the safest hospitals in America,” said George Dawson, Centra president and CEO, in a news release. “Safety and quality are major focuses at Centra, and we are honored to be recognized as a national leader.”

For its study, HealthGrades used administrative coding from more than 41 million Medicare patient records from 2005-07. It evaluated common inpatient procedures and diagnoses, the article said, and then determined outcomes in each case.

Thirty-five states had at least one hospital that earned the designation, Virginia had nine — including Centra, which operates Lynchburg General and Virginia Baptist hospitals in Lynchburg. Other Virginia hospitals on the list were in Richmond, Alexandria, Falls Church, Harrisonburg, Winchester, Fishersville and Mechanicsville.