Study: Women Drive Orthopedic Utilization 2 to 1 Over Men

Baltimore, MD, and Orlando, FL, Nov. 22, 1999 — HCIA Inc. (NASDAQ: HCIA) and The Health Network today released the results of a new study analyzing the orthopedic programs of the nation’s hospitals. The study, 100 Top HospitalsÔ : Orthopedic Benchmarks for Success, identified the 100 overall best-performing hospitals for orthopedic services and, in addition, named the top performers in three procedure-specific categories: knee replacement, hip replacement, and fracture repair.

Highlights of the study’s findings are as follows:

• Hospitals with the largest orthopedic programs showed better patient outcomes than other hospitals.

• Women outnumbered men by more than 2 to 1 in terms of utilization rates at orthopedic institutions.

• Hospitals within the 100 Top HospitalsÔ list outperformed their peers by wide margins in terms of mortality rates and complication rates.

• Men were discharged to their homes rather than other care facilities at a much higher rate than women; 54 percent of male orthopedic patients were sent home compared with 37 percent of female patients.

"Our goal in releasing this study is to help hospitals improve performance by providing orthopedic benchmarks for comparative purposes. The fact that the range of performance is extremely wide is indicative of the need to publish these data," said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president of HCIA.

How the 100 Top Hospitals Performed Versus Their Peers
Hospitals named to the 100 Top HospitalsÔ : Orthopedic Benchmarks for Success study had mortality and complication indices that were 22 to 86 percent lower than those of their peers. These hospitals also had greater success than their peers in holding down costs and lengths of stay.

A summary of the study is available to consumers via the Internet at http://www.TheHealthNetwork.com.

"The 100 Top HospitalsÔ studies have provided industry benchmarks trusted by health care administrators for years. We are pleased to make these findings available to consumers via the Internet for the first time," said J. Tod Fetherling, senior vice president for The Health Network.

The methodology used in calculating the performance measures for the 100 Top HospitalsÔ : Orthopedic Benchmarks for Success is based on computerized review and analysis of nearly 734,000 Medicare orthopedic cases, using the following clinical and financial measures:

1. mortality rate, risk-adjusted for severity of illness;

2. complications rate, risk-adjusted for severity of illness;

3. count of unique patients receiving orthopedic services;

4. average length of stay at hospital, adjusted for illness;

5. cost per patient, adjusted for illness severity and local wage differences;

6. percentage of patients who came from and were discharged from home.

Copies of the 1999 study, 100 Top HospitalsÔ : Orthopedic Benchmarks for Success, can be purchased from HCIA by calling HCIA publications at (800) 568-3282.

The Health Network is the leading consumer-health destination on television and the Internet, where individuals can find the information they need to make informed decisions about their health. Doctors and other health experts provide credible, easy-to-understand health news and information 24 hours a day. Individuals can get more in-depth information and interact with doctors, experts and other individuals through the Internet at TheHealthNetwork.com. It is available in more than 17.5 million homes via cable and satellite and millions more on the Web. The Health Network is operated by FOX Networks, part of the FOX Entertainment Group.

Editor’s note: More information is available at http://www.100TopHospitals.com.

CONTACTS:

Media:
     Chris Jones for HCIA Inc.
     Schneider Integrated Communications
     chris@schneiderintegrated.com
     (212) 402-5455, ext. 104

     Cynthia Sucher
     The Health Network
     csucher@thehealthnetwork.com
     (407) 224-6903

Providers:
     Jean Chenoweth
     HCIA Inc.
     jchenoweth@solucient.com
     (734) 669-7941