Independent National Study Recognizes BryanLGH Medical Center with Specialty Excellence Awards

For release: Immediately
Date: January 18, 2005
Contact: Edgar Bumanis, 402-481-8674
Scott Shapiro, HealthGrades, 303-716-0041, x6584
Number: 05-02

BryanLGH Cardiac, Gastrointestinal, Orthopedic and Vascular Services Among Nation’s Best in New HealthGrades® Study

LINCOLN, Neb. — BryanLGH has received Specialty Excellence Awards from HealthGrades® in the areas of cardiac, gastrointestinal, orthopedic and vascular services. BryanLGH is the only Nebraska hospital to receive the cardiac care award and the only Lincoln hospital to receive awards in the other three specialties. Specialty Excellence Awards are given to hospitals with risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates in a specialty low enough to place them in the top 10 percent in the nation. These are the first annual Specialty Excellence Awards presented.

“BryanLGH is thrilled to have four of its Centers of Excellence recognized by HealthGrades®,” said Larry Elliott, vice president for clinical and diagnostic services at BryanLGH. “Our patients need to know that the expertise we’ve developed as the region’s premier cardiac care center extends to the areas of orthopedic, gastrointestinal and vascular care.”

These awards identify elite hospitals that lead the nation in specialty care,” said Samantha Collier, MD, HealthGrades® vice president of medical affairs. “They set the benchmark, and these awards provide a new way for individuals to identify the hospitals in their area with the highest quality in a particular specialty – a valuable tool for anyone seeking care.”

“For the new awards, HealthGrades® analyzed and assigned star ratings by different specialty areas. HealthGrades® used Medicare data (MedPAR files) for 2001 through 2003 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. The overall rating of each specialty area was a combined rating of one or more medical conditions or procedures (e.g., heart attack, coronary bypass surgery). The top 10 percent of hospitals within each specialty area were selected to be HealthGrades® 2005 Specialty Excellence Award recipients.

HealthGrades® considered the following conditions and procedures within each specialty area:

Cardiac

Coronary Bypass Surgery
Valve Replacement Surgery
Coronary Interventional Procedures
Heart Attack
Heart Failure
Atrial Fibrillation

Gastrointestinal

Gastrointestinal Bleed
Bowel Obstruction
Pancreatitis
Gastrointestinal Procedures and Surgeries
Cholecystectomy

Orthopedics

Total Knee Replacement
Total Hip Replacement
Partial Hip Replacement
Hip Fracture Repair
Back and Neck Surgery (except Spinal Fusion)
Back and Neck Surgery (Spinal Fusion)

Vascular

Resection/Replacement of Abdominal Aorta
Carotid Endarterectomy
Peripheral Vascular Bypass

BryanLGH Medical Center also is a 2005 HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award winner and received eight Best in Nebraska HealthGrades ratings in the areas of cardiac, orthopedic, vascular and GI care. See www.healthgrades.com for a complete list of award winners.

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