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Nanticoke Memorial Hospital announced today it is a recipient of the Healthgrades 2020 Patient Safety Excellence AwardTM. This distinction places Nanticoke among the top 5% of all short-term acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems. Nanticoke is the only hospital in the state of Delaware to receive this award and has received the award for four consecutive years. During the study period (2016 through 2018), Healthgrades 2020 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient hospitals demonstrated excellent performance in safeguarding patients in the Medicare population, as measured by objective outcomes—risk-adjusted patient safety indicator (PSI) rates—for 14 PSIs including 13 PSIs defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and no Foreign Objects Left in Body During Surgery or Procedure. Healthgrades found that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average*: • 48.3% less likely to experience a collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals. • 54.4% less likely to experience a hip fracture following surgery, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals. • 66.8% less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals. • 63% less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired at the hospital, than patients treated at non- recipient hospitals. If all hospitals in the country performed at the level of award recipients for each of the 13 patient safety indicators, 110,864 patient safety events could have been avoided.* “The team at Nanticoke is laser-focused on providing the best care possible. Receiving a recognition such as the Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award for four consecutive years is evidence of that commitment to quality,” says Penny Short, MSM, BSN, RN and President of Nanticoke Memorial Hospital. “Consumers might not know that information around patient safety is readily available and should be considered when researching healthcare options,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Healthgrades. “We commend the recipients of the 2020 Patient Safety Excellence Award for their dedication to providing excellent care for their patients.”