News Releases

Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Receives Top Ranking in Treating Heart Failure

Houston, Texas, July 6, 2007 -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced a milestone addition to the Hospital Compare consumer Web site. The revised comparison tool will now give consumers even better insight into the quality of care provided by their local hospitals.

Out of 4,807 hospitals nationwide, four hospitals in the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, including Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital, were part of 38 that received a better than the national rate ranking for treating heart failure. Memorial Hermann Healthcare System was the only system in Texas to receive a better than the national rate ranking in this category.

“The goal of the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System is to provide the best patient outcomes with exceptional patient care experiences. We are very pleased to produce outstanding outcomes for patients with heart disease,” stated Dr. Michael Shabot, chief quality officer for Memorial Hermann Healthcare System. “Using advanced technology, multiple quality and safety initiatives and the most compassionate patient care, we are making great strides in providing the best possible healthcare for our community.”

The updates provide consumers with an enhanced snapshot that captures information on the quality of care they received from providers. Besides updated pricing and volume information, the snapshot also now includes details on new outcomes such as mortality outcome measures that reflect care of patients with acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and heart failure.

Looking ahead to 2008, Medicare will add patient satisfaction information to provide even more detail to help make available the information consumers need for health care decision making.

About Memorial Hermann Healthcare System

An integrated health system, Memorial Hermann is known for world-class clinical expertise, patient-centered care, leading edge technology, and innovation. The system, with its exceptional medical staff and 19,000 employees, serves southeast Texas and the greater Houston community. Memorial Hermann’s 16 hospitals include three hospitals in the Texas Medical Center, two long-term care facilities, three heart institute locations and eight suburban hospitals. The system also operates numerous imaging, sports medicine and rehabilitation, and surgery centers, a Wellness Center, a chemical dependency treatment center, a home health agency, a retirement community and a nursing home. To learn more, visit www.memorialhermann.org or call 713-222-CARE.

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