Providence Alaska Medical Center has received five-star ratings and top national rankings for clinical excellence in heart surgery, according to a comprehensive study released by HealthGrades™, the nation’s leading healthcare ratings company. Providence was also named as a recipient of the 2007 HealthGrades Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award™, which ranks Providence:  Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Heart Surgery
Five-Star Rated in Coronary Bypass Surgery
Five-Star Rated in Valve Replacement Surgery
Five-Star Rated in Heart Surgery
Five-Star Rated in Atrial Fibrillation
Best (#1) in Alaska for Overall Cardiac Services
“Saving and improving the lives of people in our community is the top priority of our physicians and clinical teams,” Bruce Lamoureux, Administrator for Providence Alaska Medical Center. “This is a testament of their profound dedication to excellence.” Ninth Annual Hospital Quality in America Study (pdf)
As part of its ninth annual Hospital Quality in America Study, HealthGrades independently analyzed more than 5,000 hospitals in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for its 2007 ratings, objectively assessing their clinical outcomes and quality. The 40 million hospitalization records utilized in the assessment are publicly available and licensed from the federal government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “HealthGrades objectively assesses and rates hospital performance in order to help consumers make better and more informed healthcare choices,” explained Samantha Collier, M.D., HealthGrades vice president of medical affairs. “With consumers having a greater stake in their healthcare purchasing decisions, it’s important for them to know that there is a tremendous difference in clinical quality outcomes between hospitals.” “In Anchorage, Providence Alaska Medical Center stands out notably in terms of delivering quality care for its cardiac patients,” Collier added. “Patients, families and employers here truly have access to healthcare that is among the best in the nation.” The 2007 HealthGrades ratings for all hospitals nationwide are available, free of charge, on the organization’s award-winning consumer Web site, located at www.healthgrades.com. More than three million individuals and employees of 125 major employers and health plans visit HealthGrades each 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 Providence Alaska Medical Center
Providence Alaska Medical Center is a not-for-profit hospital within the Providence Health & Services health system. Delivering patient care for over 100 years in Alaska, the facility treats an estimated 1,800 heart patients each year. Some of the nation’s most advanced cardiac procedures, such as cardiac ablation and minimally invasive valve replacement, are performed by Providence’s heart team. Click here to visit Alaska’s number one cardiac team! 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. For more information about Providence Alaska Medical Center's Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award and/or HealthGrades, please contact Leah Davenport, Senior Account Executive, at (907) 261-6081. | 
