Premier Announces Nation's Top Healthcare Providers; Hospitals Awarded for Work in Preventing Community-Acquired Pneumonia

LAS VEGAS -- National winners of the prestigious 2005 Premier Award for Quality are being honored today for excellence in both quality of care and operational efficiency at the Premier Annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas. The industry-leading healthcare facilities were recognized for delivering outstanding patient care while reducing the cost of healthcare delivery by improving resource utilization.

The Premier Award for Quality, given in five clinical areas and based on quality and cost data regularly submitted to Premier for reporting and benchmarking purposes, is distinguished by its consideration of performance-based criteria including clinical quality outcomes, clinical process indicators and resource utilization outcomes.

"Better healthcare through better use of information and resources is what distinguishes Premier Award for Quality winners from their peers," says Stephanie Alexander, senior vice president and general manager of Premier Healthcare Informatics. "These hospitals, big and small, are leading the industry by using best practices and evidence-based decision-making to develop more efficient ways to deliver excellent patient care."

Clinical areas considered for the 2005 Premier Award for Quality are total joint replacement of the hip and/or knee, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), heart failure (HF), community acquired pneumonia (CAP), and acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Only three winners were picked in each category for each hospital type from an eligible pool of nearly 400 Premier hospitals. Hospitals that submitted data to Premier's Perspective(TM) clinical comparative database (the largest clinical comparative database in the nation) between July 2003 and June 2004 were eligible to participate in the 2005 Premier Award for Quality program.

"Today's technology allows us to use comprehensive tools to collect and analyze data about the delivery of patient care over time," says Alexander. "By analyzing how and what we do, we can do it better."

 2005 Premier Award for Quality Winners

In the area of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), nine hospitals in three categories were recognized including Rochester General Hospital (NY), Ingham Regional Medical Center (MI), Summa Health System (OH) for full interventional cardiology programs with open heart bypass with teaching; Winchester Medical Center (VA), St. Patrick Hospital (MT), Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital (MN) for full interventional cardiology programs with open heart bypass without teaching; and Holy Family Hospital (WA), Florida Hospital Celebration (FL), Florida Hospital East Orlando (FL) for interventional or invasive cardiology programs only.

Sinai Hospital of Baltimore (MD), Millard Fillmore Gate Circle (NY), Rochester General Hospital (NY), Sacred Heart Hospital (MD), Terrbonne General Medical (LA), and Jefferson Hospital (PA) were recognized for their high level of quality care in the area of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) for full interventional cardiology programs with open heart bypass with and without teaching.

For community acquired pneumonia (CAP), Autora Sinai Medical Center (WI), Henry Ford Hospital (MI), Good Samaritan Hospital (OH), Randolph Hospital (NC), DePaul Health Center (MO), and Fairview Lakes Regional Hospital (MN) took top honors.

Four categories of hospitals were recognized as providing top quality care in the area of heart failure including: Sinai Hospital of Baltimore (MD), Kettering Hospital (OH), and Memorial Health Medical Center (GA) for full interventional cardiology programs with or without open heart backup with teaching; Adventist Medical Center (OR), Memorial Hospital West (FL), and Mease Dunedin Hospital (FL) for full interventional cardiology programs with or without open heart backup without teaching; Fairview Lakes Regional Hospital (MN), Walla Walla General Hospital (WA), and Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital (IL) for invasive cardiology programs only; and DePaul Health Center (MO), Mission Hospitals, Inc. (NC) and Harris Methodist Fort Worth (TX).

Memorial Medical Center (IL), McLaren Regional Medical Center (MI), Holy Family Hospital (WA), Florida Hospital Celebration (FL), and Alegent-Bergan Mercy Medical Center (NE) were honored by the Premier Award for Quality in total joint replacement hip and knee.

Source:  Premier Healthcare Informatics