Northeast Georgia Medical Center again recognized as #1 in Georgia for Overall Cardiac Care
HealthGrades study finds patient outcomes at Northeast Georgia Medical Center best in Georgia for Overall Cardiac Care

According to the Tenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study issued yesterday, Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) ranks best in Georgia for Overall Cardiac Care, Cardiology Services and Cardiac Surgery. In addition, NGMC ranks among the top 5 percent in the nation for cardiac care and cardiac surgery and the top 10 percent for cardiology services. This is the third year in a row NGMC has ranked number one in Overall Cardiac Care, and it is the fourth year in a row NGMC has ranked number one in Cardiac Surgery.

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. Cardiac services are provided at the state-of-the-art Ronnie Green Heart Center at NGMC.

The study also found that NGMC is five-star rated for:

• Coronary Bypass Surgery
• Valve Replacement Surgery
• Coronary Interventional Procedures
• Treatment of Heart Attack
• Treatment of Heart Failure

“We couldn’t be more pleased about the results of this study, and I congratulate every member of our cardiac team on this tremendous achievement,” says Jim Gardner, NGMC President and CEO. “This number one ranking for the third year in a row is a testament to our aim of providing exceptional health care close to home.”

Patients admitted to the nation’s top-performing hospitals, five-star hospitals like NGMC, have, on average, a 71 percent lower chance of dying than those treated at one-star hospitals across 18 procedures and conditions analyzed, according to the study. HealthGrades is the nation’s leading independent ratings company.

“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.

Among the study’s key findings:

• Gaps persist between the “best” and the “worst” hospitals across all procedures and conditions studied. Five-star rated hospitals, such as NGMC, had statistically significantly lower risk-adjusted mortality across all three years studied.

• Across all procedures and conditions studied, there was an approximate 71 percent lower chance of dying in a 5-star rated hospital compared to a 1-star rated hospital.

• Across all procedures and conditions studied, there was an approximate 52 percent lower chance of dying in a 5-star rated hospital compared to the U.S. hospital average.

The 2008 HealthGrades ratings for all hospitals nationwide are available, free of charge, on the organization’s award-winning consumer Web site, located at 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 Northeast Georgia Medical Center

Located on the Main Campus of NGMC, the Ronnie Green Heart Center offers comprehensive cardiac care to the residents of northeast Georgia. Services provided at the Ronnie Green Heart Center include open heart surgery (including valve replacement, coronary artery by-pass and off-pump by-pass procedures), cardiac interventions (such as angioplasty and stent placement), electrophysiology procedures, and inpatient care in a 17-bed state-of-the-art cardiac intensive care unit. The Heart Center also has been recognized for outstanding outcomes for cardiac surgical and intervention patients by the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Thoracic Surgery.

About The Ronnie Green Heart Center at Northeast Georgia Medical Center

Located on the Main Campus of Northeast Georgia Medical Center, the Ronnie Green Heart Center offers comprehensive cardiac care to the residents of northeast Georgia. Services provided at the Ronnie Green Heart Center include open heart surgery (including valve replacement, coronary artery by-pass and off-pump by-pass procedures), cardiac interventions (such as angioplasty and stent placement), electrophysiology procedures, and inpatient care in a 17-bed state-of-the-art cardiac intensive care unit. Since its opening in 2002, the Heart Center has been recognized for outstanding outcomes for cardiac surgical and intervention patients by the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Thoracic Surgery.

About HealthGrades