Watertown Regional Medical Center Earns Healthgrades’ 2024 Best-in-Class Awards for Patient Experience and Patient Safety

Only 79 hospitals nationwide ‒ or 2% of those eligible ‒ received both awards, the Healthgrades 2024 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ and 2024 the Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ 

WATERTOWN, Wisconsin – For the second consecutive year, Watertown Regional Medical Center (WRMC) has been named a dual recipient of Healthgrades’ prestigious hospital recognitions, the 2024 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ and the 2024 Outstanding Patient Experience Award™. The dual-recipient distinction places Watertown Regional among the top 79 ‒ or top 2% ‒ of the short-term, acute-care hospitals nationwide evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading marketplace connecting patients and providers.

“All hospitals want to provide quality care and positive patient experiences in the safest environment possible,” said Patricia Gedemer, Chief Nursing Officer at Watertown Regional Medical Center. “For Watertown Regional to do this better than 98% of all hospitals, per Healthgrades ‒ and for the second consecutive year ‒ is quite an accomplishment. We love this community and are honored to be its primary healthcare provider, and this recognition reflects our teams’ skill and passion for their work.”

The Patient Safety Excellence Award™, achieved by 10% of the approximately 4,500 eligible hospitals, recognizes facilities across the nation that are providing quality care while preventing serious safety events during hospital stays. The Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ celebrates the approximately 15% of eligible hospitals that are delivering the best patient experiences.

To be eligible for the patient safety award, hospitals must meet certain clinical quality thresholds, have zero instances in which a foreign object was left behind during a procedure, and have data on at least seven out of eight core Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs). Healthgrades’ analysis revealed that patients treated at recipient hospitals such as Watertown Regional are less likely to experience the following safety events than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals:

• In-hospital fall resulting in fracture (approximately 52% less likely)
• Collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest (approximately 56% less likely)
• Pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital (approximately 67% less likely)
• Catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital (approximately 71% less likely)

For the annual patient experience analysis, Healthgrades evaluated Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient survey data against 10 patient experience benchmarks to identify the institutions such as Watertown Regional that display an unwavering commitment to prioritizing positive patient experience during a short-term, acute care visit.

“As consumers take a more hands-on approach to their healthcare journeys, hospital quality should be a top consideration when choosing where to receive care,” said Brad Bowman, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Head of Data Science at Healthgrades, in his organization’s press release announcing the 2024 award recipients. “Our goal at Healthgrades is to offer direct, data-driven insights on the hospitals that make the safety and experience of their patients a top priority and consistently deliver exceptional results in this aspect of care. With this information, consumers can feel confident they’re making the most informed decisions about their healthcare.”

The Healthgrades recognition continues Watertown Regional’s recent string of honors that affirm the hospital’s reputation as one of the best in the state and country. In February, Watertown was recognized by The Chartis Center for Rural Health as one of the 100 top-performing rural and community hospitals in the nation. In 2023, WRMC earned the same Chartis and Healthgrades recognitions and was also named to Becker’s listing of 153 “Great Community Hospitals” and “Top Hospitals for Nursing Communication”.

“When you’ve been the area’s preferred healthcare provider for more than a century, you are doing a lot of things right,” said Gedemer. “Our passion is caring for our patients and few things are as fulfilling as the power of healing. It’s still exciting, and a source of pride for all of us, to be recognized by multiple organizations as one of the nation’s best hospitals.”

Consumers can visit healthgrades.com for more information on how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and access the complete methodology here.

About Watertown Regional Medical Center
Watertown Regional Medical Center has been providing the residents of Dodge and Jefferson counties with excellent healthcare for over 100 years. With the combination of state-of-the-art facilities, world-class technology and advanced clinical programming, Watertown Regional Medical Center is committed to keeping quality healthcare close to home, with a focus on maintaining and growing quality primary and specialty care services. The hospital’s services have grown to include Emergency and Urgent Care, Primary Care, Women’s Health, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Heart and Vascular, Neurology, Pulmonology, Ophthalmology, and many other services.

About Healthgrades
Healthgrades is dedicated to empowering stronger and more meaningful connections between patients and their healthcare providers. As the #1 platform for finding a doctor and a leader in healthcare transparency, we help millions of consumers each month find and schedule appointments with their healthcare professional of choice and prepare for their appointments with best-in-class, treatment-focused content. Our health system, large group practice, and life sciences marketing solutions have been helping our partners reach and engage consumers who are on their way to the doctor for over 20 years. Healthgrades is part of RVO Health, a partnership between Red Ventures and Optum, part of UnitedHealth Group. RVO Health has the largest consumer health and wellness audience online across its brand portfolio including Healthgrades, Healthline, Medical News Today, Greatist, Psych Central, Bezzy and Platejoy which touch every part of the health and wellness journey. Each month, RVO Health helps more than 100 million unique visitors live their strongest and healthiest lives.

*Pictured are quality team members including (Left to Right): Jill Frederiksen, Quality Analyst; Cindy Hennen, Infection Prevention; Nathan Neumann, Quality Control Analyst; Suzie Feuling, Director of Quality, Patient Safety, and Case Management