Gundersen Health System wins two awards for women's health services

Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center has received Healthgrades' Women's Health Excellence Award™ and the Gynecologic Surgery Excellence Award™ for 2013, placing the medical center among the top 10 percent in the nation.

The Women's Health Excellence Award distinguishes Gundersen as a top performing hospital in women's health, which includes care provided to women for common conditions and procedures treated in the hospital.

Compared to hospitals that performed in the bottom 10 percent from 2009 through 2011, Healthgrades Women's Health Excellence Award recipients as a group had a 55 percent lower mortality rate across eight conditions and procedures and a 21 percent lower complication rate across seven conditions and procedures.

For the Gynecologic Surgery Excellence Award, Healthgrades analyzed patient outcome data for surgery on the female reproductive system to treat benign tumors, cancer, infertility, incontinence and other conditions.

From 2009 through 2011, patients treated in hospitals receiving 5-stars for Gynecologic Surgery, such as Gundersen, have on average a 54.8 percent lower risk of experiencing complications than if they were treated in hospitals receiving 1-star. In addition, 27,887 women having these types of surgeries could have potentially avoided in-hospital complications.