Community Health Network

The Indiana Heart Hospital named one of the nation's top cardiovascular hospitals by Thomson Reuters four consecutive years

For release: 11/18/2009

Indianapolis, IN---The IndianaHeartHospital has been named one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals^® for cardiovascular care by Thomson Reuters for four consecutive years.

Thomson Reuters’ annual study — 100 Top Hospitals: Cardiovascular Benchmarks — examined the performance of 971 hospitals by analyzing clinical outcomes for patients diagnosed with heart failure and heart attacks and for those who received coronary bypass surgery or percutaneous cardiovascular interventions (PCI) such as angioplasties.

The 2009 winners were announced November 16 in Modern Healthcare magazine.

“Cardiovascular disease is still the number-one killer in the United States so we look for the hospitals that provide the best care,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals programs of Thomson Reuters. “These hospitals set the national standard for cardiovascular disease outcomes, process of care, efficiency, and lower costs. They deliver significant value to their communities.”

The study, in its 11th year, found that the 100 Top Hospitals cardiovascular winners have:

• 17 percent lower mortality rates for heart attack patients
• 10 percent lower mortality rates for heart failure patients
• 27 percent lower mortality for bypass surgery patients
• 22 percent lower mortality following PCI
• Fewer post-operative complications — 99 percent of patients were complication-free
• Close to 12 percent shorter average hospital stay
• 12 percent lower cost per case

"The IndianaHeartHospital continues to set the highest standards of care for heart and vascular care in the country," said CEO Tom Malasto.  "To receive this award for four consecutive years speaks to the quality of our employees and physicians, assisted by our state-of-the art technology. This award exemplifies our focus on delivering a safe and exceptional experience for both patients and their families."

The 100 Top Hospitals study focused on short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals that treat a broad spectrum of cardiology patients. Thomson Reuters researchers analyzed 2007 and 2008 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, 2008 Medicare cost reports, and data from other sources. They scored hospitals in key performance areas: risk-adjusted medical mortality, risk-adjusted surgical mortality, risk-adjusted complications, core measures score, percentage of coronary bypass patients with internal mammary artery use, procedure volume, severity-adjusted average length of stay, and wage-and severity-adjusted average cost.

The measures were calculated for three classes of hospitals with the following number of winners in each:

• Teaching with cardiovascular residency programs, 30 winners
• Teaching without cardiovascular residency programs, 40 winners
• Community, 30 winners

 About The IndianaHeartHospital
As the nation’s first all-digital heart hospital and four-time Thomson Reuters Top 100 Cardiovascular Hospitals (2006-2009), The Indiana Heart Hospital serves as the beacon for cardiovascular services across Community Health Network.  Located on the campus of Community Hospital North and extending across central Indiana, The Indiana Heart Hospital provides a comprehensive array of services ranging from open heart surgery to non-invasive diagnostic testing to cardiac rehabilitation - all with a cardiologist on site 24/7.   Recently, The Indiana Heart Hospital, Community Health Network and more than 30 cardiovascular physicians created Community Heart and Vascular, the region’s first advanced integrated network for heart and vascular care.  For more information, visit HeartHospital.com.

About Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, healthcare and science and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 50,000 people and operates in over 100 countries. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: TRI) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: TRI). For more information, go to www.thomsonreuters.com

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Leah Campbell
Media Relations
Community Health Network
317-621-8038
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