Baltimore, MD, April 29, 1999 — HCIA Inc. (NASDAQ:HCIA) today released a study that highlighted differences in the medical practice patterns of 100 Top Hospitals™ and the rest of the U.S.

The study, Prophylactic Use of Antibiotics in Clean Surgical Cases in American Hospitals: Benchmarks and Norms, suggested that 100 Top Hospitals™ tended to use only lower-cost, first-generation cephalosporins to prevent wound infections in clean surgical cases, while a comparative group of peer hospitals was more likely to combine a first-generation cephalosporin with a second- or third-generation drug. The practices of the 100 Top Hospitals™ serve to reduce patient exposure to late generation antibiotics, thereby somewhat reducing the risk of antibiotic sensitivity — a major goal in quality improvement in many institutions. Even though 100 Top Hospitals were more selective in the use of prophylactic antibiotics, they were able to achieve comparable outcomes to the peer hospitals (as measured by post-operative wound infection rates).

Overall costs per case at 100 Top Hospitals™ was approximately 14 percent or $2,781 lower than the peer hospitals, suggesting that high-quality medicine can be cost-effective as well.

The study was conducted by HCIA’s research staff and was based on data from more than 200,000 patients.

"The study shows that, contrary to fears about cost cutting in the health care industry, more effective use of antibiotics can result in more efficient and lower-cost care for the patient. This kind of research is a major step toward assuring high-quality care to patients, families, local employers, and even payors," said Jean Chenoweth, HCIA senior vice president. "This is a natural evolution of a hospital’s role in promoting excellence in clinical care and wellness in the community."

The study is the first in a series to be released from the 100 Top Hospitals: Clinical Research Program™, the first medical research program to build and analyze a clinical database composed solely of high-performance (100 Top Hospitals™) hospitals of differing ownership, religious affiliation, teaching status, size, and alliance associations. The Clinical Research Program is intended to expand medical knowledge through its unique clinical research database.