Mercy Named America's 100 Best for Joint Replacement and Spine Surgery

(Baltimore, MD) – Mercy Medical Center is one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Joint Replacement and Spine Surgery according to new research released by Healthgrades, a leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems.

Mercy is home to Orthopedics and Joint Replacement, which offers innovative joint, hip and knee preservation, replacement and treatment options, including outpatient surgery.

“We’ve witnessed many advancements in the field of orthopedic and joint surgery, including robotic-assisted total knee replacement technology and anterior approach hip replacement,” said Marc W. Hungerford, M.D., Chief, Division of Orthopedics. “With these advancements, patients at Mercy can avoid lengthy, in-hospital stays, and begin walking at home within a day of their procedure. Outpatient orthopedic and joint replacement can mean less pain, lower infection risk, and quicker recovery for patients,” Dr. Hungerford added.

Each year, Healthgrades evaluates hospital performance at nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide for 31 of the most common inpatient procedures and conditions.*

“Consumers can feel confident in the America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Joint Replacement and Spine Surgery for their commitment to quality care and exceptional outcomes. The recognition helps provide peace of mind when selecting a place for care,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Data Science at Healthgrades.

The hospitals that have achieved the Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Joint Replacement and Spine Surgery have demonstrated exceptional quality of care. For example, from 2018-2020, patients treated at hospitals receiving this designation have on average 64.9% lower risk of experiencing a complication than if they were treated in hospitals that did not receive the award.*

Additionally, patients treated at hospitals which did not receive the America's 100 Best Hospitals for Joint Replacement and Spine Surgery Award are on average 2.85 times more likely to experience one or more complications in the hospital than if they were treated at facilities that did receive the award.*

The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital at Mercy is also home of The Maryland Spine Center, and The Minimally Invasive Brain and Spine Center, both providing state-of-the-art technologies and clinical expertise for the treatment of back and spine related issues.

According to Charles C. Edwards, II, M.D., Medical Director of The Maryland Spine Center at Mercy, the Healthgrades award is “reflective of the Center’s achievement in diagnosing and treating spine conditions, including scoliosis, osteoarthritis, spinal deformity and complex degenerative spine conditions.”

“It is very gratifying to be designated among the best in spine surgery nationwide and are very pleased to be able to bring our patients state-of-the-art technologies and advanced treatment options,” said neurosurgeon Charles Park, M.D., Ph.D., Director of The Minimally Invasive Brain and Spine Center at Mercy.

Mercy Medical Center has also been recognized for the following clinical achievements:

• High Performing in Back Surgery (Spinal Fusion), Knee Replacement and Hip Replacement, U.S. News & World Report (2021-22)
• One of Healthgrades America's 50 Best Hospitals for Surgical Care™ in 2022
• One of Healthgrades America's 100 Best Hospitals for Joint Replacement™ for 3 Years in a Row (2020-2022)
• One of Healthgrades America's 100 Best Hospitals for Spine Surgery™ for 6 Years in a Row (2017-2022)
• Recipient of the Healthgrades Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award™ for 7 Years in a Row (2016-2022)
• Recipient of the Healthgrades Joint Replacement Excellence Award™ for 4 Years in a Row (2019-2022)
• Recipient of the Healthgrades 2022 Surgical Care Excellence Award™

For its analysis, Healthgrades evaluated approximately 45 million Medicare inpatient records for nearly 4,500 short-term acute care hospitals nationwide to assess hospital performance in 31 common conditions and procedures and evaluated outcomes in appendectomy and bariatric surgery using all-payer data provided by 16 states. Healthgrades recognizes a hospital’s quality achievements for cohort-specific performance, specialty area performance, and overall clinical quality. Individual procedure or condition cohorts are designated as 5-star (statistically significantly better than expected), 3-star (not statistically different from expected), and 1-star (statistically significantly worse than expected).