FISHERSVILLE — Augusta Medical Center ranks among the top 5 percent of hospitals nationwide for low mortality and rates of complications after procedures, according to a company dedicated to evaluating U.S. hospitals.

Health Grades analysts reviewed records from over 5,000 hospitals to determine the top 277, or 5 percent, said Thomas Mackintire, vice president of provider sales. AMC also ranked among the top hospitals last year. 

The community hospital tracks its own data internally, but staff rarely get to see how they compare to hospitals nationwide, said Dr. Joseph Ranzini, chairman of AMC's Quality Resource Performance Improvement committee.

File Photo/The News Leader The lobby atrium of Augusta Medical Center is shown in this file photo. On Monday, AMC was ranked among the top five percent of U.S. hospitals for low mortality and rates of complication.

"There's nothing you can do to prepare for this but just take care of people every day in the best possible way," Ranzini said Monday after Mackintire formally presented AMC with a 2006 Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence.

Patients at Distinguished Hospitals are 27 percent less likely to die and 14 percent less likely to suffer major complications, according to Health Grades. Rockingham Memorial Hospital also received the award.

Health Grades' analysis looks at rates of mortality and post-procedural complications at each hospital. Its researchers first determine what they believe a hospital's rates should be based on the number of incoming patients and the severity of their illnesses, and then they compare those numbers to the actual rates, Mackintire said. Hospitals do not pay Health Grades for evaluations; the company reviews all U.S. hospitals.

The public can access free information on individual procedures at Health Grades' Web site, www.healthgrades.com. A full report costs $9.95.