The large medical center at the northern gateway to Los Gatos recently did better than just getting a clean bill of health, in an industry survey. It was rated a top medical performer.
According to U.S. health-specialist tracker Healthgrades, Good Samaritan Hospital, the acute-care facility in the Cambrian area of San Jose, is officially one of America’s 250 Best Hospitals.
“Good Samaritan Hospital is proud that we have been recognized as one of America’s Best 250 Hospitals by Healthgrades,” said Antonio Castelan, a spokesperson for the hospital. “This distinction puts Good Samaritan in the top five percent of hospitals nationwide for overall clinical performance across the most common conditions and procedures.”
Healthgrades looked at 2019-2021 Medicare data to evaluate nearly 4,500 hospitals on how well they performed in 31 areas, including how they looked after heart attack, pneumonia and sepsis patients.
The Bay Area is no stranger to excellence in the medical field. A total of 16 San Francisco Bay Area hospitals were recognized in the Healthgrades facilities review.
Regional Medical Center and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose joined Good Samaritan on the list. Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center and Stanford Health Care even ranked in the 50 Best Hospitals in America echelon.
“Patients treated at one of the best hospitals have a 28.7 percent lower risk of dying than if they were treated at a hospital that did not receive the award,” a Healthgrades spokesperson said. “If all hospitals performed similarly to America’s 250 Best, more than 160,000 lives could have been saved.”
Good Samaritan Hospital also received other awards by Healthgrades for specialty care, including America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Critical Care, and excellence awards for neurosciences and stroke care for 2023. Additionally, for the second year in a row, the hospital received the America’s 100 Best Gastrointestinal Surgery Award and excellence awards in orthopedic surgery and surgical care.
In a Jan. 25 statement, Good Sam’s CEO Tomi Ryba thanked the hospital’s medical staff and said “above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement to human life.”
“These awards stand as a testament to the unwavering commitment we have to provide high-quality, safe care to our patients and communities,” Ryba said.
Open since 1965, Good Samaritan Hospital is recognized as a leader in neurosciences, high-risk obstetrics, comprehensive cancer services, advanced cardiology and innovative surgery techniques, according to its website.
Dr. Rich Briones, chief medical officer at Good Samaritan Hospital, told the Los Gatan he believes “patients seek an organization that they trust will deliver top-notch care” now more than ever.
“These recognitions demonstrate our continued commitment to build that trust through quality improvement across the many clinical services we provide throughout Silicon Valley and surrounding areas,” Briones said.
Joseph Simitian, Los Gatos’ representative on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, says he was pleased to see the hospital did so well in the survey.
“We keep a very careful eye here at the County on all of the folks that we call partners in health care,” he said. “We depend on the Good Sams of the world.”
He’s currently pushing for the creation of a new health clinic to serve the West Valley that would complement the care provided by the hospital.
“Almost two million people in the county depend on our network of hospitals and primary care providers,” he said. “Without the Good Sams of the world, our job gets a whole lot tougher.”
