STPH Earns 2017 Women's Choice Orthopedics
STPH Earns 2017 Women’s Choice Award® 
as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Orthopedics
COVINGTON – St. Tammany Parish Hospital has been named one of America’s Best Hospitals for Orthopedics by the Women’s Choice Award®, America’s trusted referral source for the best in healthcare. The award signifies that STPH is in the top 11 percent of 3,229 U.S. hospitals offering orthopedic services.
There are clear gender differences in musculoskeletal disease, according to a study reported in The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Structural anatomy differences, hormones, and genetics are factors in optimizing care for male vs. female orthopedic patients. Because women have higher rates of arthritis than men, some 60 percent of joint replacement surgeries are performed on women.
“It is wonderful to see our staff’s hard work recognized by Women’s Choice Award,” said Patti Ellish, STPH president/CEO. “Our orthopedics team strives daily to deliver world-class healthcare close to home and we are proud that they have been recognized by our community and on a national level.”
In a national survey conducted by the Women’s Choice Award, female orthopedic patients identified the following key priorities when choosing a hospital for orthopedics:
- Single source for orthopedic services
- Solid patient safety record
- High recommendation ratings
“Women have different orthopedics needs, particularly as they grow older and become more at risk for osteoporosis and fractures,” said Delia Passi, founder and CEO of the Women’s Choice Award. “They also have different healthcare preferences, which we use to evaluate the recipients of America’s Best Hospitals for Orthopedics. We are the only award that recognizes a hospital’s ability to meet women’s distinctive needs.”
The methodology used to select St. Tammany Parish Hospital as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Orthopedics is unique in that it evaluates Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey results along with primary research about women’s healthcare preferences. Award recipients are also measured on their incidence of surgical complications and infections, including:
- A wound that splits open after surgery
- Accidental cuts and tears
- Deaths from serious treatable complications
- Rate of complications for knee or hip replacement patients
- Catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI)
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureu (MRSA) infections
A hospital must have arthroscopy, joint replacement and spine surgery orthopedic services available to patients, onsite physical therapy, and an MRI in order to qualify for the award. It is the only award recognizing excellence in orthopedics based on robust criteria that consider patient satisfaction and clinical excellence.
St. Tammany Parish Hospital is one of 374 award recipients representing the hospitals that have met the highest standards for orthopedics care in the U.S. by the Women’s Choice Award.
For more information on the 2017 America’s Best Hospitals for Orthopedics, please visit https://www.womenschoiceaward.com/awarded/healthcare/
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ABOUT ST. TAMMANY PARISH HOSPITAL
A full-service acute care facility committed to providing world-class healthcare and the latest technology, St. Tammany Parish Hospital delivers today’s life-improving procedures with the utmost care to area residents with emphasis on wellness, preventive care and disease management close to home. STPH is recognized for quality, safety and the patient experience by Leapfrog, Hospital Compare, Healthgrades, CareChex and Women’s Choice. STPH is a self-supporting not-for-profit community hospital; it receives no ad valorem tax funding. Learn more at stph.org.
ABOUT THE WOMEN’S CHOICE AWARD®
The Women’s Choice Award® is a trusted referral source, empowering women to make smart healthcare choices by identifying the country’s best healthcare institutions based on robust criteria that consider female patient satisfaction and clinical excellence. The Women’s Choice Interesting lead sentence.