North Memorial Ranked #1 in Minnesota for Overall Cardiac Care, According to National Study

ROBBINSDALE, MN (October 13, 2009) — North Memorial Health Care is among the top 5% in Overall Cardiac Care in the nation for the 3rd year in a row (2008-2010) according to a comprehensive annual study released today by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. The HealthGrades study annually assesses patient outcomes — mortality and complication rates — at virtually all of the nation’s nearly 5,000 nonfederal hospitals.

In addition to its #1 Ranking in Overall Cardiac Care, North Memorial ranked #1 in MN for Cardiac Surgery and #1 for Gastrointestinal Medical Treatment. In further acknowledgement of its overall quality care, North Memorial is a recipient of the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence 4 Years in a Row (2005-2009).

"I am very proud of our physicians, nurses, staff and leaders at North Memorial," says David W. Cress, President & CEO of North Memorial. "Our hospital staff members’ commitment to quality and dedication to our patients made this designation possible."

North Memorial is also ranked among the top 5% in the nation in Cardiac Surgery 2 years in a row (2009-2010), Overall Pulmonary Services 2 years in a row (2009-2010), Overall Gastrointestinal Services 2 years in a row (2009-2010) and Gastrointestinal Treatment 3 years in a row (2008-2010).

According to the twelfth annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America study top-rated hospitals had a 52 percent lower mortality rate than the U.S. national average when looking at the patient outcomes of 17 procedures and diagnoses ranging from bypass surgery to treatment for heart attack. When the top-rated hospitals were compared to the poorest performers, there was an even greater difference, 72 percent lower mortality.

Earlier this year North Memorial was a recipient of the 2009/2010 Women’s Health Excellence Award and Ranked among the Top 5% in the nation for Women’s Health in The Sixth Annual HealthGrades Women’s Health in American Hospitals study released in June 2009.

The new 2010 HealthGrades hospital ratings were posted today at www.healthgrades.com, HealthGrades’ public Web site. For a complete listing of our HealthGrades ratings and rankings visit northmemorial.com/healthgrades.

HealthGrades Ratings

HealthGrades’ hospital ratings and awards reflect the track record of patient outcomes at hospitals in the form of mortality and complication rates. HealthGrades rates hospitals independently based on data that hospitals submit to the federal government. No hospital can opt in or out of being rated, and no hospital pays to be rated.

For 28 procedures and treatments, HealthGrades issues star ratings that reflect the mortality and complication rates for each category of care. Hospitals receiving a 5-star rating have mortality or complication rates that are below the national average, to a statistically significant degree. A 3-star rating means the hospital performs as expected. One-star ratings indicate the hospital’s mortality or complication rates in that procedure or treatment are statistically higher than average. Because the risk profiles of patient populations at hospitals are not alike, HealthGrades risk-adjusts the data to allow for apples-to-apples comparisons.

More information on today’s HealthGrades study, including the complete methodology, can be found at www.healthgrades.com.

About North Memorial

North Memorial has provided more than 50 years of service to communities in the northwestern Twin Cities metro and currently has more than 5,000 employees. North Memorial includes North Memorial Medical Center, a Level I Trauma Center and North Memorial Ambulance, which operates 120 ground ambulances and 8 helicopters. In addition to being recognized for its outstanding emergency and trauma services, North Memorial is recognized for its heart and stroke care, oncology services, women and children’s services and numerous primary care and specialty clinics located throughout the northwest metro. For more information visit northmemorial.com.