Cardiac Interventions Cited as best in California in 8th Annual HealthGrades Study

Doctors Medical Center is named the best hospital in California for cardiac interventions (angioplasties and stents), according to a study released today by HealthGrades, the nation’s leading provider of independent hospital ratings.   The Modesto hospital received the highest possible five-star ratings for cardiac interventions, and is ranked among the top five percent of hospitals nationally for cardiac interventions, according to the study.

The study also names Doctors Medical Center as the top rated hospital in the Stockton area for overall cardiac services, cardiology and cardiac interventions. 

“Quality patient care is our top priority,” said Paula Moore, Chief Quality Officer.  “Recognition from an objective, independent source such as HealthGrades, for two consecutive years, validates the efforts our physicians, nurses and staff deliver to the people of our community everyday.  Being named the best hospital in California for cardiac interventions by HealthGrades reaffirms our belief that the residents of Stanislaus County do not need to travel out of the area to receive excellent care.” 

As part of its eighth annual Hospital Quality in America Study, HealthGrades independently analyzed nearly 5,000 hospitals in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for its 2006 ratings, objectively assessing their clinical outcomes and quality.  The data utilized in the assessment is licensed from the federal government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  The HealthGrades ratings measure whether patient outcomes for each of more than two dozen procedures and diagnoses are better than expected (5-Star), as expected (3-Star) or worse than expected (1-Star). 

“HealthGrades objectively rates hospitals' performance to help consumers make better health care choices, and it’s clear that Doctors Medical Center provides outstanding interventional cardiac care.  The people of Modesto should be secure knowing they have top-notch care in their own backyard," said Samantha Collier, M.D., HealthGrades vice president of medical affairs. 

The 2006 HealthGrades ratings for all hospitals nationwide are available, free of charge, on the web at www.healthgrades.com.  More than two-and-a-half million unique users and 125 major employers visit the HealthGrades web site every 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 Doctors Medical Center
Doctors Medical Center of Modesto (DMC) is a part of Tenet California.  DMC is a 398-bed acute care hospital, offering a wide range of services including cardiology, neurology, emergency and trauma services, women and children’s services, orthopedics, medical/surgical, oncology, and critical/intensive care.  DMC employs more than 2,000 employees and has over 500 physicians on staff. DMC is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.  To learn more about Doctors Medical Center of Modesto visit www.dmc-modesto.com.

About HealthGrades
HealthGrades (Nasdaq:HGRD) is the leading healthcare ratings company, providing ratings and profiles of hospitals, nursing homes and physicians to consumers, corporations, health plans and hospitals. Millions of consumers and hundreds of the nation’s largest employers, health plans and hospitals rely on HealthGrades’ independent ratings to make healthcare decisions based on the quality of care. More information on the company can be found at http://www.healthgrades.com.