Berkshire Medical Center Sits Atop National Quality Ranking

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Medical Center is ranked as the best performer in Patient Safety Indicators in the United States, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

BMC is ranked number one in the nation when compared to over 3,200 hospitals for its composite measure of Patient Safety Indicators, or PSI-90. The PSI-90 Patient Safety Indicators were developed by the Agency for Research and Quality, and provides an overview of hospital-level quality as it relates to a set of potentially preventable hospital-related events associated with harmful outcomes for patients. The lower a hospital’s composite score, the better, and Berkshire Medical Center has attained the lowest score in the nation for data analyzing the period between July 2013 and June of 2015, the most current data available.

"Several years ago, led by direction from the Berkshire Health Systems Board of Trustees and our senior leadership team, we implemented an ongoing quality performance improvement program designed to elevate Berkshire Medical Center to among the safest hospitals in the country," said David Phelps, president and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. "This objective, publicly available data, validates the success of our physicians, nurses and all staff in providing our patients and our community with the highest standard of care. All who work at BMC should be proud of this remarkable achievement."


"Attaining this level of excellence is a testament to the dedication of our entire staff, working as a team, to provide the best clinical care in the safest environment," said Diane Kelly, BMC's chief operating officer. "Our community expects and deserves nothing less."

The Patient Safety Indicators that are included in the PSI-90 are rates for: pressure ulcer, iatrogenic Pneumothorax, central venous catheter-related blood stream infection, postoperative hip fracture, perioperative hemorrhage or hematoma, postoperative physiologic and metabolic derangement, perioperative pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis, postoperative sepsis, postoperative wound dehiscence, and accidental puncture of laceration.

"Berkshire Medical Center's commitment is to ensure that our quality is at the highest level, for every patient, every encounter, every day," said Dr. Gray Ellrodt, BMC's chief quality officer and chairman of the Department of Medicine. "This is ingrained in everything we do and at every level of the organization."

 


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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.
 
This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.
 
The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.
 
DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.
 
"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths. 
 
"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."
 
Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.
 
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