University Healthcare Berkeley Medical Center Receives Top Scores Patient Safety, Infection Rates Best in West Virginia

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. – University Healthcare Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg received a score of 1.35 on the Hospital Acquired Conditions (HAC) Report issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for hospitals in West Virginia.

The Hospital Acquired Condition Reduction Program was established by CMS as an incentive program for hospitals to improve patient safety and quality of care. HACs are conditions that patients did not have upon admission to the hospital, but may have developed during their stay.

Berkeley Medical Center’s score represents the best among 30 acute care hospitals and medical centers in West Virginia. HAC scores are based on inpatient stays, and the report does not include Critical Access Hospitals. Some of the fourteen conditions that are included in the report include falls and trauma, surgical site infections, pressure ulcers, blood stream infections and urinary tract infections.

“We are continuing to make significant progress in reducing infections and making hospital stays safer for our patients here in the Eastern Panhandle,” stated Anthony P. Zelenka, President and Chief Operating Officer at Berkeley Medical Center. “Our recent HAC report ranking is proof of this progress,” he added.

According to Zelenka, it took a team effort to get the best scores in the state. “I am very proud of our staff and physicians, led by our infectious disease specialist Dr. Matthew Simmons, for working together to assure that our patients at Berkeley Medical Center receive the best care possible in a safe environment,” he added.