Study Finds Twin Cities Hospital is 5-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Failure for 4 Years in a Row

Rating Based on Study of Patient Outcomes at the Nation’s Hospitals by HealthGrades

NICEVILLE, FL (January 27, 2010) – Twin Cities Hospital today announced that it has received a 5-Star rating for the quality of Treatment of Heart Failure from HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. The recognition is based on HealthGrades’ twelfth annual Hospital Quality in America study, released October 13, 2009, which analyzes patient outcomes at virtually all of the nation’s hospitals.
 
In addition to being Five Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Failure for 4 years in a row, Twin Cities Hospital has also received 5-Star ratings for Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease for the 3rd year in a row and Treatment of Pneumonia for the 8th year in a row.

David Whalen, Chief Executive Officer, states “Twin Cities Hospital is proud to be the recipient of HealthGrades 5-star rating for the Treatment of Heart Failure for 4 years in a row.  This rating is a testament to the very high quality of treatment and care our patients receive daily.  Our  physicians, employees, and volunteers are the heart of Twin Cities Hospital and their efforts truly make this designation possible”.

The HealthGrades study, the largest annual report of its kind, analyzed patient outcomes in nearly 40 million Medicare hospitalization records from 5,000 hospitals over the years 2006, 2007 and 2008. This year’s study found:

• Across all 17 procedures and diagnoses in which mortality was studied, there was an approximate 72% lower chance of dying in a 5-star rated hospital compared to a 1-star rated hospital, and a 52% lower chance of dying in a 5-star hospital compared with the national average.
• If all hospitals performed at the level of a 5-star rated hospital across the 17 procedures and diagnoses studied, 224,537 Medicare lives could potentially have been saved from 2006 through 2008.

The new 2010 HealthGrades hospital ratings were posted today at www.healthgrades.com, HealthGrades’ public Web site.

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.

Twin Cities Hospital is a 65 bed general acute care facility located on a 17 acre site in Niceville.  Twin Cities Hospital offers personalized care in all private rooms which can help speed recovery and lower chances of infection; both of which lead to better patient outcomes.  Services provided include a 24 hour emergency room staffed with board certified physicians, comprehensive diagnostic imaging services that include Digital Mammography, and a state-of-the art Surgery Department.  In addition, Twin Cities Hospital has the only hospital based Wellness Center in the area, offering a variety of community based programs on current health issues.  Twin Cities Hospital has also earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™. 
Extraordinary People—Extraordinary Care (850) 678-4131.