Gundersen Orthopedic Surgery among best in the nation

Five-star designations for specialty care included in Healthgrades honors

A new report shows Gundersen Health System is one of America's 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery™.

Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals, announced the honor this week, along with a series of five-star designations for Gundersen specialty services.

"We are very pleased to have been recognized as one of America's 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery," says Stephanie Carroll, MD, Gundersen medical vice president, Team 4. "The entire Gundersen Orthopedics team has been committed to continuous quality improvements and delivering great patient experience. In particular, the team has worked to develop comprehensive pre-operative education that guides patients through their perioperative journey. This allows the team to better anticipate and plan patient needs during recovery and transition home."

"In addition, Gundersen Physical Therapy has partnered with the inpatient care team to mobilize patients sooner after surgery, which has led to shorter hospital stays for patients," Dr. Carroll shares. "This has truly been a team effort. Orthopedic Surgery, the hospital team, therapies and so many others that have come to the table to support our continuous improvement in quality and efficiency."

The recognition is part of findings in the Healthgrades 2019 Report to the Nation. The report demonstrates how clinical performance differs dramatically between hospitals nationally, regionally and at the local level, and the impact this variation has on health outcomes.

Along with Orthopedic Surgery, Gundersen is recognized by Healthgrades for the following clinical achievements for 2019:

• Five-Star Recipient for Pacemaker Procedures
• Five-Star Recipient for Total Hip Replacement  (4 Years in a Row)
• Five-Star Recipient for Hip Fracture Treatment
• Five-Star Recipient for Repair of Abdominal Aorta (3 Years in a Row)
• Five-Star Recipient for Appendectomy (2 consecutive years)

Healthgrades evaluates approximately 45 million Medicare inpatient records for almost 4,500 short-term acute care hospitals nationwide to assess hospital performance in 32 common conditions and procedures, and evaluates outcomes in appendectomy and bariatric surgery using all-payer data provided by 15 states and the District of Columbia.