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Tenet Healthcare Hospitals Recognized By American Heart Association; 100 Percent Participation in Get With the Guidelines(SM) Programs

Posted on: Thursday, 17 November 2005, 09:00 CST

Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE:THC) received an appreciation award from the American Heart Association for 100 percent participation of eligible facilities in its Get With The Guidelines -- Coronary Artery Disease (GWTG-CAD) and Heart Failure (GWTG-HF) programs. The award was given to Tenet at the GWTG Recognition Awards Ceremony held during the association's Scientific Sessions meeting in Dallas.

Get With The Guidelines is designed to ensure that patients with cardiovascular disease are consistently treated and discharged with appropriate medications and instructions to help reduce the patient's risk of a second heart attack or stroke. The quality improvement program has three modules: coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke.

"The American Heart Association applauds Tenet for its commitment to implement the appropriate standards of care and protocols to reduce the number of recurrent events in coronary patients," said Gray Ellrodt, M.D., chairman for the American Heart Association's GWTG Steering Committee. "Tenet's 100 percent commitment of eligible facilities to this program is something we hope other health organizations will follow."

"We are very proud to have all our eligible facilities participate in the GWTG-CAD and GWTG-HF program," said Trevor Fetter, Tenet's president and chief executive officer. "Tenet's complete participation in this program is just one more way we are proving our commitment to the quality care of our patients. We will continue our drive to consistently improve treatment for all cardiovascular patients that come to our hospitals."

Jennifer Daley, M.D., Tenet's senior vice president for clinical quality, said: "One of the key components of Tenet's Commitment to Quality initiative is supporting evidence-based practice of medicine. The American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines program aligns very closely with our own goals. Our 100 percent participation for CAD and heart failure of eligible facilities in this program demonstrates our aim to achieve best evidence-based practice in cardiac care at our hospitals. We are proud to work with the American Heart Association on implementing Get With The Guidelines to achieve this goal."

Under GWTG-CAD, patients begin aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering medications, aspirin, ACE inhibitors/ARB's and beta-blockers in the hospital and receive smoking cessation, weight management counseling, and referrals for cardiac rehabilitation or exercise prescription before they are discharged. The GWTG-heart failure patients are counseled to follow guidelines such as ACE-inhibitor and beta-blocker therapy, hypertension control, smoking cessation, weight management and understanding the signs and symptoms of heart failure and what to do if their condition worsens. Hospitals that receive recognition for participation in the GWTG demonstrate that they have formed a dedicated team to help guide the hospital towards these goals and have begun implementing these procedures at their facilities.

According to the American Heart Association, more than 450,000 people suffer a recurrent heart attack each year. Statistics also show that within one year of an attack, 25 percent of men and 38 percent of women will die. Within six years after a heart attack, about 22 percent of men and 46 percent of women will be disabled with heart failure. Projections have shown that implementation of cardiovascular disease secondary prevention guidelines nationwide, as promoted in the GWTG-CAD program alone, could result in saving more than 80,000 lives each year.

Tenet's Commitment to Quality is a companywide strategy designed to enhance the overall quality and productivity of the care delivery process at Tenet hospitals across the country. It includes a series of targeted initiatives to bring about significant improvements in evidence-based quality of care and patient safety, nursing practice, medical staff governance, and other important areas related to the delivery of quality care.

Below is a list of the Tenet hospitals that have been recognized for implementing the American Heart Association's GWTG-CAD and GWTG-HF programs:

ALABAMA

Brookwood Medical Center, Birmingham

CALIFORNIA

Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, San Diego

Community Hospital of Los Gatos, Los Gatos

Desert Regional Medical Center, Palm Springs

Doctor's Medical Center of Modesto, Modesto

Doctor's Hospital of Manteca, Manteca

Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, Fountain Valley

Garden Grove Hospital & Medical Center, Garden Grove

Irvine Regional Hospital & Medical Center, Irvine

John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital, Indio

Lakewood Regional Medical Center, Lakewood

Los Alamitos Medical Center, Los Alamitos

Placentia-Linda Hospital, Placentia

San Dimas Community Hospital, San Dimas

San Ramon Regional Medical Center, San Ramon

Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, San Luis Obispo

Twin Cities Community Hospital, Templeton

USC University Hospital, Los Angeles

FLORIDA

Cleveland Clinic Hospital, Weston

Coral Gables Hospital, Coral Gables

Delray Medical Center, Delray Beach

Florida Medical Center, Fort Lauderdale

Good Samaritan Medical Center, West Palm Beach

Hialeah Hospital, Hialeah

Hollywood Medical Center, Hollywood

North Ridge Medical Center, Fort Lauderdale

North Shore Medical Center, Miami

Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, Palm Beach Gardens

Palmetto General Hospital, Hialeah

Parkway Regional Medical Center, North Miami

Saint Mary's Medical Center, West Palm Beach

West Boca Medical Center, Boca Raton

GEORGIA

Atlanta Medical Center, Atlanta

North Fulton Regional Hospital, Roswell

South Fulton Medical Center, East Point

Spalding Regional Hospital, Griffin

Sylvan Grove, Jackson

LOUISIANA

Kenner Regional Medical Center, Kenner

Lindy Boggs Medical Center, New Orleans

Meadowcrest Hospital, Gretna

Memorial Medical Center/Baptist Campus, New Orleans

NorthShore Regional Medical Center, Slidell

MISSISSIPPI

Gulf Coast Medical Center, Biloxi

MISSOURI

Des Peres Hospital, St. Louis

Saint Louis University Hospital, St. Louis

NEBRASKA

Creighton University Medical Center, Omaha

NORTH CAROLINA

Central Carolina Hospital, Sanford

Frye Regional Medical Center, Hickory

PENNSYLVANIA

Graduate Hospital, Philadelphia

Hahnemann University Hospital, Philadelphia

Roxborough Memorial Hospital, Philadelphia

Warminster Hospital, Warminster

SOUTH CAROLINA

East Cooper Regional Medical Center, Mount Pleasant

Hilton Head Regional Medical Center, Hilton Head Island

Piedmont Healthcare System, Rock Hill

TENNESSEE

Saint Francis Hospital, Memphis

Saint Francis Bartlett Medical Center, Bartlett

TEXAS

Centennial Medical Center, Frisco

Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center, Houston

Doctors Hospital of Dallas, Dallas

Houston Northwest Medical Center, Houston

Lake Pointe Medical Center, Rowlett

Nacogdoches Medical Center, Nacogdoches

Park Plaza Hospital, Houston

Providence Memorial Hospital, El Paso

RHD Memorial Medical Center, Dallas

Shelby Regional Medical Center

Sierra Medical Center, El Paso

Trinity Medical Center, Carrollton

Tenet Healthcare Corporation, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates acute care hospitals and related health care services. Tenet's hospitals aim to provide the best possible care to every patient who comes through their doors, with a clear focus on quality and service. Tenet can be found on the World Wide Web at www.tenethealth.com.

Some of the statements in this release may constitute forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on our current expectations and could be affected by numerous factors and are subject to various risks and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2004, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and periodic reports on Form 8-K. Do not rely on any forward-looking statement, as we cannot predict or control many of the factors that ultimately may affect our ability to achieve the results estimated. We make no promise to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of changes in underlying factors, new information, future events or otherwise.

Source: Business Wire

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