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America's 50 Best Hospitals Identified By HealthGrades

Posted on: Monday, 26 February 2007, 09:01 CST

America's 50 Best Hospitals were identified today by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings company, based on an analysis of approximately 90 million hospitalization records from nearly 5,000 hospitals over the years 1999-2005.

The list of hospitals contains well-known facilities, such as Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles, Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and the Cleveland Clinic. But it also contains hospitals without national reputations whose patients have superior outcomes compared with their peers across the country. In this analysis HealthGrades utilized only objective outcomes data from the federal government, the mortality and complication rates that reflect the track record of how patients fared at the nation's non-federal hospitals.

To receive a place on the HealthGrades America's 50 Best Hospitals list, the facilities must have patient outcomes that are in the top five percent in the nation the most consecutive times over the last five years, reflecting quality that is consistent across procedures and treatments over time.

"This is the first time that any organization has identified the best hospitals in the country purely in terms of the clinical outcomes of their patients," said Samantha Collier, MD, HealthGrades' chief medical officer. "HealthGrades America's 50 Best Hospitals are the best of the best -- they have clearly found a way to 'hardwire quality' into systems and processes so that patient outcomes are superior year after year and across a range of procedures and treatments."

For each of the past five years, HealthGrades has recognized hospitals with patient outcomes in the top five percent by designating them Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence. In the most recent HealthGrades annual study, issued January 29, Distinguished Hospitals had average mortality rates that were 28 percent lower than all other hospitals, and complication rates that were 5 percent lower. Hospitals named Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence the most consecutive times over the last five years were named HealthGrades America's 50 Best Hospitals for 2007.

The complete list of HealthGrades America's 50 Best Hospitals for 2007 is available in HealthGrades' study, issued today at HealthGrades.com.

HealthGrades' annual assessment of mortality and complication rates analyzes the following procedures and diagnoses and then risk-adjusts the data to account for differences in patient populations among hospitals:

-- Atrial Fibrillation -- Heart Failure -- Back and Neck Surgery -- Hip Fracture Repair (Spinal Fusion) -- Pancreatitis -- Back and Neck Surgery -- Partial Hip Replacement (except Spinal Fusion) -- Peripheral Vascular Bypass -- Bowel Obstruction -- Prostatectomy -- Carotid Endarterectomy -- Pulmonary Embolism -- Cholecystectomy -- Resection/Replacement of -- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Abdominal Aorta (COPD) -- Sepsis -- Community Acquired Pneumonia -- Stroke -- Coronary Bypass Surgery -- Total Hip Replacement -- Coronary Interventional Procedures -- Total Knee Replacement -- Diabetic Acidosis and Coma -- Valve Replacement Surgery -- Gastrointestinal Bleed -- Heart Attack

"For a hospital's patient outcomes to be in the top five percent in the nation one year is truly an achievement," continued Dr. Collier. "To achieve this level of high quality year over year for five consecutive years is astounding. These hospitals highlight what is possible when organizational attention to quality is deliberate and intentional every day. They have set the quality benchmark to which all America's hospitals should aspire."

At no cost, consumers have access to HealthGrades quality ratings of every nonfederal hospital in the country at http://www.healthgrades.com.

Methodology

In this analysis, HealthGrades independently and objectively analyzed approximately 90 million Medicare patient records from fiscal years 1999 through 2005 for 26 medical procedures and diagnoses. To qualify for the list, hospitals were required to meet minimum thresholds in terms of patient volumes, quality ratings and the range of services provided. Prior to comparing the in-hospital mortality and complication rates of the nation's hospitals, HealthGrades risk-adjusted the data to compare on equal footing hospitals that treated sicker patients. Hospitals with risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates that scored in the top five percent or better nationally -- which demonstrates superior overall clinical performance -- were then recognized as Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence. Hospitals that received that designation the most consecutive times over the last five years were named HealthGrades America's 50 Best Hospitals.

HealthGrades' methodology can be found in the study and on the company's Web site.

About HealthGrades

Health Grades, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGRD) is the leading healthcare ratings organization, providing ratings and profiles of hospitals, nursing homes and physicians. Millions of consumers and many of the nation's largest employers, health plans and hospitals rely on HealthGrades' independent ratings and decision-support resources to make healthcare decisions based on the quality of care. More information on the company can be found at http://www.healthgrades.com.

Editor's note: A full copy of the analysis is available at http://www.healthgrades.com or by contacting Scott Shapiro at sshapiro@healthgrades.com.

Source: Business Wire

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