HealthGrades study finds patient outcomes at Houston Northwest Medical Center among nation's best for several service lines HOUSTON, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the Tenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study issued today, Houston Northwest Medical Center ranks among nation's best for several service lines including overall gastrointestinal services, gastrointestinal surgery, stroke, general surgery, and maternity care. Houston Northwest Medical Center was also recognized for quality back and neck surgery, overall critical care services and overall pulmonary services. The study, the largest of its kind, analyzed patient outcomes at virtually all of the nation's 5,000 hospitals over the years 2004, 2005 and 2006. Key highlights of Houston Northwest Medical Center's achievements include: -- Ranking in the top 5 percent in the nation for overall gastrointestinal services and gastrointestinal surgery -- Ranking among the top 10 percent in the nation for: - Treatment of stroke - General surgery - Maternity care -- Ranking among the top 10 in Texas for overall critical care for three consecutive years -- Five-star ranking for back and neck surgery -- Five-star ranking for overall pulmonary services "Houston Northwest Medical Center is focused on delivering quality care for our patients. We take great pride in obtaining multiple awards from HealthGrades based on medical outcomes," said Drew Kahn, chief executive officer at Houston Northwest Medical Center. "At Houston Northwest Medical Center, our top priorities are patient safety and clinical quality. Recognition for our quality care is a credit to the outstanding efforts of our physicians, nurses and staff," added Kahn. The study also found that Houston Northwest Medical Center is: -- Recipient of the 2008 HealthGrades Gastrointestinal Care Excellence Award(TM) - Received Three Consecutive Years -- Recipient of the 2008 HealthGrades Gastrointestinal Surgery Excellence Award(TM) -- Recipient of the 2008 HealthGrades Stroke Care Excellence Award(TM) -- Recipient of the 2008 HealthGrades General Surgery Excellence Award(TM) -- Recipient of the 2007/2008 Maternity Care Excellence Award(TM) -- Five-Star Rated for GI Surgery - Three Consecutive Years -- Received the Highest Possible Star Ratings for Treatment of Stroke -- Received the Highest Possible Star Ratings for Treatment of Sepsis - Two Consecutive Years "Our research shows that while the overall quality of hospital care in America is improving, the gap between the best-performing hospitals and the worst persists," said Dr. Samantha Collier, HealthGrades' chief medical officer and author of the study. "This persistent gap makes it imperative that anyone planning to be admitted to a hospital do their homework and seek out highly rated facilities." The Tenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study identifies key trends in the quality of care provided by approximately 5,000 hospitals nationwide. HealthGrades researchers analyzed Medicare discharges from virtually every U.S. hospital between 2004 and 2006. Risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates were calculated and hospitals were assigned a 1-star (poor), 3-star (as expected), or 5-star (best) quality rating for 28 diagnoses and procedures from heart failure to hip replacement to pneumonia. The 2008 HealthGrades ratings for all hospitals nationwide are available, free of charge, on the organization's award-winning consumer Web site, located at http://www.healthgrades.com/. More than three million individuals and employees of some of the nation's largest employers and health plans visit HealthGrades each month to access quality information about hospitals, nursing homes and physicians. HealthGrades also provides consumers and payers with detailed assessments of hospitals' patient-safety outcomes, based on indicators developed by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. About Houston Northwest Medical Center Houston Northwest Medical Center, a part of Tenet's Central Region, is a 508-bed acute care facility located at 710 FM 1960 West in Houston. Houston Northwest Medical Center has been serving the North Houston community for more than 30 years. The hospital is an Accredited Chest Pain Center by the Society of Chest Pain Centers. Houston Northwest is also a Blue Cross/Blue Shield Center for excellence in weight loss surgery. To learn more about Houston Northwest Medical Center, a facility accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, visit http://www.hnmc.com/. DATASOURCE: Houston Northwest Medical Center CONTACT: Theresa Lewis of Houston Northwest Medical Center, +1-281-440-2444, ; or Scott Shapiro of HealthGrades, +1-720-963-6584, Web site: http://www.hnmc.com/ http://www.healthgrades.com/

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