Community Memorial Hospital ranks second among all New York State hospitals for joint replacement and is in the top five percent of hospitals nationwide according to the tenth annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study issued today. By analyzing patient outcomes at virtually all of the nation’s 5,000 hospitals over the years 2004, 2005 and 2006, HealthGrades, the nation’s leading healthcare rating company, has confirmed that Community Memorial is one of New York State’s top two hospitals for these orthopedic surgeries.

Community Memorial earned five star ratings for joint replacement, total knee replacement and total hip replacement and is a recipient of the HealthGrades Joint Replacement Excellence Award™.

“I am pleased and excited for our employees and Hamilton Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine. The five star ratings and the award recognizing clinical excellence is the result of more than 20 years of hard work by hospital staff and the orthopedic group,” said Hospital President and CEO David W. Felton. “For Central New York to have one of the state’s top two hospitals for joint replacement is an outstanding achievement. For our patients it means access to unparalleled orthopedic surgery and care that is warm and personal.”

The Tenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study identifies key trends in the quality of care provided by approximately 5,000 hospitals nationwide. HealthGrades researchers analyzed Medicare discharges from virtually every U.S. hospital between 2004 and 2006. Risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates were calculated and hospitals were assigned a 1-star (poor), 3-star (as expected), or 5-star (best) quality rating for 28 diagnoses and procedures from heart failure to hip replacement to pneumonia.

Based on the study, HealthGrades today made available its 2008 quality ratings for virtually every hospital in the country at www.healthgrades.com, a web site designed to help individuals research and compare local healthcare providers.

Earlier in the year Community Memorial was one of the few small hospitals nationwide to earn a VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence in Surgical Complications and Infection Prevention. The hospital was presented the Gold Seal from the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations following its comprehensive survey.

“Survey results, ratings and national awards provide a true picture of a hospital and the quality of its care,” stated Felton. “They also tell a story of tremendous dedication and teamwork and a commitment to our patients and to each other.” “Our research shows that while the overall quality of hospital care in America is improving, the gap between the best-performing hospitals and the worst persists,” said Dr. Samantha Collier, HealthGrades’ chief medical officer and author of the study. “This persistent gap makes it imperative that anyone planning to be admitted to a hospital do their homework and seek out highly rated facilities.”

The 2008 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 some of the nation’s largest 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.