Doylestown Hospital today announced that it is the only Philadelphia area hospital to receive all three 2009 cardiac specialty excellence awards - cardiac care, cardiac surgery and coronary intervention - from HealthGrades ^tm, the leading independent healthcare ratings company.  These awards place Doylestown Hospital's clinical outcomes in the top ten percent nationally for each recognized area of care.

 These findings were included in the eleventh annual "HealthGrades ^tm  Hospital Quality in America Study," the most comprehensive study of its kind, analyzing more than 41 million Medicare hospitalization records from 2005 to 2007 at the nation's approximately 5,000 non-federal hospitals. 

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2009 RATINGS:

Best Rated in the Philadelphia Area* for Overall Cardiac Services
Recipient of HealthGrades Cardiac Care Excellence Award ^tm 
Only Philadelphia Area* Hospital to Receive HealthGrades Cardiac Care Excellence Award ^tm

Best Rated in the Philadelphia Area* for Coronary Interventional Procedures
Recipient of HealthGrades Coronary Intervention Excellence Award ^tm 
Only Philadelphia Area* Hospital to Receive HealthGrades Coronary Intervention Excellence Award ^tm  -

Recipient of HealthGrades Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award ^tm 

Ranked Among the Top 10% in the Nation

* for Overall Cardiac Services (Only hospital in Philadelphia Area*)
* for Cardiac Surgery
* for Coronary Interventional Procedures (Only hospital in Philadelphia Area*)

Ranked Among the Top 10 in Pennsylvania - 2 years in a row (2008 & 2009)

Five-Star Rated for Valve Replacement Surgery 
- 3 years in a row (2007 - 2009)

Five-Star Rated for Coronary Interventional Procedures 
- 2 years in a row (2008 & 2009)

Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Attack 
- 3 years in a row (2007 - 2009)

Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Failure 
- 3 years in a row (2007 - 2009)

* as defined by www.healthgrades.com

"Our first cardiac cath lab opened in 1991 and our goal was to both repair hearts and touch hearts," recalls Doylestown Hospital President Rich Reif. "Little did we realize then that in 16 years we would be recognized, not only among the best, but as The Best program for interventions and overall cardiac services in the Philadelphia region.

"I am equally proud that we 'touch' hearts with a remarkably dedicated and compassionate group of physicians, staff and volunteers," continues Rich. "That part of our goal is not as easily quantified, but is expressed so eloquently by the hundreds of patient and family members who recognize us for our experience and caring."  

"I came to Doylestown Hospital in 2000 to help institute the cardiac surgery program," says John Mitchell, Director of Cardiovascular Services.  "From the beginning, I knew I was joining a superior team. Every physician, nurse, clinician, support staff member and volunteer is totally focused one thing: providing our patients with the best medical care possible."

"It's no accident that we achieved these stellar ratings, " notes Eleanor Wilson, VP of Patient Services.  "It's the culmination of years of work and the combined efforts of our amazing medical and clinical staffs.

"It's very important for residents in our communities to understand the quality of Doylestown Hospital's heart services," Eleanor added. "We really have the best of both worlds: leading edge technology and medical expertise, plus the warm, hands-on nursing care of a community hospital."

According to the HealthGrades ^tm study, the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area has improved at a rate of nearly 20% for heart attack care over the study period - a nearly 11.5% greater improvement rate compared to the state of Pennsylvania's heart attack improvement rate. The Heart Institute of Doylestown Hospital is proud to be recognized in this national study as their quality outcomes have contributed to this improvement.

 Some key findings of the national study:

* According to the study, if all hospitals performed at the level of five-star rated hospitals, 237,420 Medicare deaths could potentially have been prevented over the three years studied.

* More than half of those preventable deaths were associated with four conditions: sepsis, pneumonia, heart failure and respiratory failure.

* While overall death rates declined from 2005 to 2007, the nation's best-performing hospitals were able to reduce preventable deaths at a much faster rate than poor-performing hospitals, resulting in large state, regional and hospital-to-hospital variations in the quality of patient care, the study found.

* Large gaps persist between the "best" and "worst" hospitals across all procedures and diagnoses studies. Across all procedures and diagnoses studies, there was an approximate 70 percent lower chance of dying in a 5-star rated hospital compared to a 1-star rated hospital.

* Across all procedures and diagnoses studies, there was an approximate 50 percent lower chance of dying in a 5-star rated hospital compared to the U.S. hospital average.

"Geography should not be a major factor in patients' outcomes," said Samantha Collier, MD, HealthGrades' ^tm chief medical officer and a study author. "If our nation's hospitals are to close the quality gap and guarantee an equally high level of medical care for every patient, no matter where he or she lives, it will require a commitment by our nation and its communities to demand more from quality improvement. Until then, it is imperative that anyone seeking medical care at a hospital do their homework and know the hospital's quality ratings before they check in."

Based on the study, HealthGrades ^tm today made available its 2009 quality ratings for nearly  every hospital in the country at www.healthgrades.com, a Web site designed to help individuals research and compare local healthcare providers. The Web site is designed so that consumers can easily compare patient outcomes at their local hospitals for procedures ranging from aortic aneurysm repair to bypass surgery.

Each hospital receives a star rating based on its patient outcomes in terms of mortality or complication rates for each procedure or treatment. Hospitals with outcomes that are above average to a statistically significant degree receive a five-star rating. Hospitals with average outcomes receive a three-star rating, and hospitals with outcomes that are below average receive a one-star rating. Because no two hospitals or their patients' risk profiles are alike, HealthGrades ^tm employs extensive risk-adjustment algorithms to ensure that it is making analogous comparisons.