HICKORY, NC (January 25, 2010) – Catawba Valley Medical Center (CVMC)
has been ranked sixth in North Carolina for Overall Orthopedic Services
and fourth in the state for Spine Surgery by HealthGrades, Inc., the nation’s
leading independent healthcare rating organization.
Catawba Valley Medical Center also received its third consecutive 5-star
rating for Back and Neck Surgery (Except Spinal Fusion) and a 5-star rating
for Hip Fracture Repair. The 5-star rating is the highest mark designated
by HealthGrades to individual service areas.
“We work hard to ensure that Catawba Valley Medical Center’s
orthopedic services incorporate the newest advances in technology and
the highest standards of patient care,” said J. Anthony Rose, Catawba
Valley Medical Center President & CEO. “We are pleased that
this commitment is reflected by these outstanding ratings from HealthGrades
and appreciate the contributions of our neurosurgeons and orthopaedic
surgeons to this honor.”
HealthGrades rates each of the nation’s 5,000 non-federal hospitals
in nearly 30 procedures and diagnoses, allowing individuals to compare
their local hospitals online at
http://www.healthgrades.com. The ratings are objective, created from data provided by the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services and 17 states that publish outcomes data.
HealthGrades’ hospital ratings are independently created. No hospital
can opt-in or opt-out of being rated, and no hospital pays to be rated.
Each hospital receives a 1- , 3- or 5-star rating for each procedure or
diagnosis, reflecting the mortality or complication rates at that hospital.
Mortality and complication rates are risk-adjusted, which takes into account
differing levels of severity of patient illness at different hospitals
and allows for hospitals to be compared on equal footing.
About Catawba Valley Medical Center:
Catawba Valley Medical Center is a not-for-profit, public healthcare system
providing and promoting the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual
well-being of the public in addition to serving as a center for health
education, wellness services, preventative medicine and acute care. CVMC,
twice recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet
facility, was recently named a “Distinguished Hospital for An Outstanding
InPatient Experience” by J.D. Power and Associates as well as a
Hospital of Choice by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers.
About HealthGrades:
HealthGrades, Inc. (Nasdaq:HGRD) is the leading independent healthcare
ratings organization, providing quality ratings, profiles and cost information
on the nation’s hospitals, physicians, nursing homes and prescription
drugs . Millions of patients and many of the nation’s largest employers,
health plans and hospitals rely on HealthGrades’ quality ratings,
advisory services and decision-support resources. The HealthGrades Network
of Web sites, including HealthGrades.com and Wrong Diagnosis.com, is a
top-ten health property according to comScore and is the Internet’s
leading destination for patients choosing providers. More information
on how HealthGrades guides America to better healthcare can be found at
http://www.healthgrades.com.