SARASOTA — Sarasota Memorial Health Care has been named one of “America’s 50 Best Hospitals” for its recent clinical outcomes by HealthGrades.

For the distinction, hospitals must achieve the lowest risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates in the nation for the most consecutive years. The honor is handed to only the top 1 percent of the nation’s 5,000-plus hospitals, according to Sarasota Memorial.

Sarasota Memorial has been ranked among America’s 50 Best Hospitals each year since its inception in 2007.

If all U.S. hospitals had performed at the level of Sarasota Memorial, more than a half million Medicare deaths could have been prevented between 2000 and 2010, according to the HealthGrades study, a Sarasota Memorial press release said.

Based on an analysis of more than 150 million Medicare patients, the study found that on average, patients treated at America’s 50 Best Hospitals had a nearly 30 percent lower risk of death, Sarasota Memorial said.

“As our nation seeks to elevate the quality of care at all hospitals, these elite facilities provide a road map for success,” Arshad Rahim, HealthGrades director of Accelerated Clinical Excellence, said in a statement. “Consumers increasingly are demanding greater transparency and quality when selecting health care providers. These hospitals are delivering. We commend them for their dedication to excellence in patient care.”

HealthGrades evaluates hospitals solely on patients’ clinical outcomes including risk-adjusted mortality and in-hospital complications. “This distinction is a testament to the dedication of our physicians and entire staff,” said Sarasota Memorial CEO Gwen MacKenzie. “At the end of the day, the most important measure of our success comes from our patients — it’s their healthy outcomes, experiences and satisfaction that drive our quest for quality every day.”