EDINBURG, Texas - For a fifth consecutive year, South Texas Health System has been recognized nationally for excellence in gynecologic surgery.
The recognition comes from Healthgrades, a resource for consumers to find a hospital or doctor.
STHS Edinburg & STHS McAllen are the only hospitals in Hidalgo County to receive the Gynecology Surgery Excellence Award for five years in a row.
Additionally, STHS has been named a 2023 Five-Star Recipient for C-Section Delivery, Hysterectomy and Gynecology Procedures.
Dr. Hazem Kanaan, department chair of women’s services for STHS, said these distinctions reflect the group’s commitment to consistently delivering high-quality women’s healthcare.
Kanaan said the awards place STHS in the upper echelon of hospitals for OB/GYN care nationwide. In fact, he said, STHS is among the top five percent of hospitals evaluated for gynecologic surgery for five years in a row.
"STHS provides excellent women's healthcare with a potential giant footprint in the Rio Grande Valley,” Kanaan said. “These recognitions represent the work of all team members at all levels in the system and we are all so proud of their accomplishments."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. more than 1,200 women in the U.S. died of maternal causes in 2021 compared with 861 in 2020 and 754 in 2019. This raised the maternal mortality rate for 2021 to 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared with a rate of 23.8 in 2020 and 20.1 in 2019.
Kanaan said STHS knows how important it is to make the right choice when it comes to childbirth. He said that through the Maternity Center at STHS McAllen and the Maternity Center at STHS Edinburg, STHS is dedicated to helping expectant mothers bring their newborns into the world in a safe and happy environment.
Kanaan said the Gynecology Surgery Excellence Award is a quality award. He said it is based on factors that matter most to patients and their families - patient outcomes.
Lance Ames, CEO of STHS Edinburg, said the analysis by Healthgrades revealed significant variation in care across the nation’s OB/GYN programs, making the availability of high-quality care more important than ever.
“Though pregnancy can be a wonderful and exciting experience, it can also be a stressful one. Mothers preparing to bring new life into the world should rest assured that they will be surrounded by a team of nursing staff and physicians who care strongly about their wellbeing and that of their infants,” Ames said.
“Our community can find great comfort at STHS and we’re honored to again be recognized for our dedication to making a mom’s delivery as smooth a process as possible.”
Brad Bowman, MD, chief medical officer and head of data science at Healthgrades said patients treated in hospitals receiving the Gynecologic Surgery Excellence Award have, on average, a 46.8% lower risk of experiencing a complication while in the hospital than if they were treated in hospitals that did not receive the award.
He said this statistic is based on all-payer data for the years 2018 through 2020. He said it is also based on three-year estimates for patients in the 16 states for which all payer data was made available.
“Healthgrades congratulates South Texas Health System for being a national leader and demonstrating a deep commitment to providing high quality Ob-Gyn care,” Bowman said. “As health systems nationwide endeavor to elevate their quality of care, these elite facilities are leading the way. We commend South Texas Health System for their dedication to excellence in Ob-Gyn care.”
Prior to Healthgrades, Bowman served as senior vice president of clinical innovation for WebMD, where he was responsible for developing web and mobile technologies that make the use of medications and medical devices safer and more effective.
Bowman has served as commissioner for Oregon's Evidence-based Practitioner-Managed Prescription Drug Plan. He received his medical training at the University of Washington and board certification in internal medicine. He formerly served as chairman of the division of internal medicine for Legacy Portland Hospitals.
Editor's Note: To learn more about how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and to access a patient-friendly overview of how STHS rates and why hospital quality matters, visit the Healthgrades website.
Editor's Note: For more information on the women’s services at STHS, including the system’s labor and delivery programs, visit STHSMcAllen.com or STHSEdinburg.com.
