Baltimore, MD, and Orlando, FL, Feb. 9, 2000 — Hospitals from around the country were recognized as their regions’ best in a list released by The Health Network and HCIA-Sachs. The 100 Top Hospitals™: Regional Benchmarks for Success study recognizes 400 hospitals in nine specific census regions across the country for providing the highest quality of care, efficiency of operations, and sustainability of overall performance.

Regional winners will be presented with their awards at the upcoming 100 Top Hospitals Summit, an exclusive national health care event that brings together the management teams of the nation’s top hospitals past and present on Feb. 27-29 in Orlando, FL.

The 100 Top Hospitals: Regional Benchmarks for Success study identifies emerging trends in different regions that could develop into national trends over time. High-rated performance in a census region indicates superior quality of care given on the local level.

Highlights from the 100 Top Hospitals: Regional study include the following:

• Hospitals in the South Atlantic region had the lowest mortality rates and the highest occupancy rates of anywhere in the country.

• The New England region winners logged the lowest costs with the longest lengths of stay of any hospitals in the nation.

• Winning hospitals in the Mountain region had the highest productivity levels and shortest lengths of stay.

• Hospitals in the West Central region were more profitable than the rest of the nation.

"The 100 Top Hospitals regional winners are shining examples of hospitals that have built a culture around continuous performance improvement," said Jean Chenoweth, Senior Vice President of HCIA-Sachs. "These hospitals offer consumers throughout their regions superior quality of care, better access to that care, and overall performance that is consistent year after year."

The 100 Top Hospitals: Regional Benchmarks for Success study reflects the best performance in each of the nine census regions. It is not the same as the previously released national list, covered in USA Today and Modern Healthcare Magazine on Dec. 13, 1999. The 100 Top Hospitals: Regional study uses the same criteria as the 100 Top Hospitals: National Benchmarks for Success study, but excludes national winners from its analysis.

The complete list of regional winners is available at TheHealthNetwork.com.

Highlights from the 100 Top Hospitals: National study included the following:

• If all U.S. hospitals were to operate like the 100 Top Hospitals, savings to the industry would exceed $31 billion annually, resulting in lower costs and savings for U.S. taxpayers.

• 100 Top performing hospitals treated sicker patients (20 percent) while achieving better (17 percent) patient outcomes, as measured by mortality and complications.

• Hospitals recognized as 100 Top Hospitals are more efficient; they work with fewer staff, care for more patients, and are twice as profitable as other hospitals.

The 100 Top Hospitals study and lists are compiled and based solely on objective, quantitative performance data that are consistent and complete across all hospitals in the U.S., and are used in the 100 Top Hospitals: Benchmarks for Success Study.