Recognized as the only hospital in Northwest Houston to be ranked among the top 5% nationally for women's stroke care HOUSTON, June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Houston Northwest Medical Center announced today that it has been recognized as the only hospital in Northwest Houston to be ranked among the top 5% nationally for women's stroke care, based on a study issued today by HealthGrades, the nation's leading independent healthcare ratings company. Additionally, Houston Northwest Medical Center is ranked among the top 10% nationally for maternity care services and is a recipient of the HealthGrades Maternity Care Excellence Award for the second year in a row. The HealthGrades study analyzed the outcomes of women admitted with heart disease and stroke to more than 1,400 U.S. hospitals. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. According to the American Stroke Association approximately 700,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke in the United States each year and women account for about 6 in 10 stroke deaths. The team at Houston Northwest Medical Center is committed to providing rapid, quality care to stroke patients. "Recognized as the only hospital in Northwest Houston to be ranked among the top 5 percent nationally for women's stroke care by HealthGrades is an honor," said Terry Kirk, chief nursing officer at Houston Northwest Medical Center. "This ranking is possible because of the dedication and teamwork exemplified by our emergency department, the Ed Roberson Heart Center, local EMS providers and the medical staff at Houston Northwest Medical Center," added Kirk. "The HealthGrades study demonstrates that when clinical teams comprised of physicians, EMS providers, nurses and radiology staff collaborates, women with cardiovascular disease are more likely to be treated successfully," says Drew Kahn, FACHE, chief executive officer at Houston Northwest Medical Center. In recent years, public health campaigns aimed at raising awareness among women about their risks of cardiovascular disease have impacted early recognition of cardiovascular disease (CVD) symptoms and prompted women to seek treatment earlier. Interventions targeted at reducing the risk of late or non-detection of CVD symptoms have likely contributed to the mortality improvements found in the study, and they will no doubt continue to improve outcomes for women in future years. For its 2008/2009 ratings, HealthGrades independently analyzed the quality of maternity care, as well as the cardiac and stroke outcomes for women, at hospitals in the 17 states that publish outcomes data, objectively assessing their clinical performance and quality. HealthGrades applied the following rating system to all hospitals included in the analysis: -- Five-star (Best) = Top 15% of all hospitals within 17 states -- Three-star (Average) = Middle 70% of all hospitals within 17 states -- One-star (Poor) = Bottom 15% of all hospitals within 17 states The 2008/2009 HealthGrades ratings for maternity care are based on a programmatic evaluation including complication rates for c-sections and vaginal deliveries, delivery volume, and neonatal mortality. Women's Health ratings combine a hospital's maternity care rating with clinical performance in the treatment of stroke and cardiac services for women, including heart surgery, heart attack, heart failure, and cardiac interventions. The complete methodology can be found in the study, on HealthGrades.com. "To be ranked among the top 10 percent in the nation for maternity care for two consecutive years is a great honor and is a tribute to our physicians and staff who deliver quality care to our patients year after year," said Becky Winders, women's services nursing director at Houston Northwest Medical Center. "Women account for 60 percent of all hospitalizations each year," said Samantha Collier, HealthGrades' Chief Medical Officer. "Our research demonstrates the critical need for these women to evaluate the quality of care provided to them before being admitted to the hospital." "Consumers continue to ask for more and better information to help them in their health care decision making," adds Kahn. "For Houston Northwest Medical Center to receive a five-star ranking from HealthGrades for women's health services and maternity care reflects the efforts of everybody in the organization, and should be very comforting to area residents." The complete maternity care and women's health services ratings are published, free of charge, on the HealthGrades Web site, http://www.healthgrades.com/. Ratings for 27 other medical procedures and diagnoses -- including cardiac, pulmonary, vascular, stroke, orthopedics, critical care, bariatrics, and gastrointestinal services -- are also available on the HealthGrades Web site. About Houston Northwest Medical Center Houston Northwest Medical Center is located at 710 F.M. 1960 in Houston. Houston Northwest Medical Center has been serving the North Houston community for more than 30 years. The hospital is an Accredited Chest Pain Center by the Society of Chest Pain Centers. Houston Northwest Medical Center ranks among the nation's top hospitals for several service lines from HealthGrades, a leading source for independent health care quality information, including overall gastrointestinal services, gastrointestinal surgery, stroke, general surgery, maternity care, back and neck surgery (spinal fusion), overall critical care services, and overall pulmonary services. Houston Northwest is also a Blue Cross/Blue Shield Center for excellence in weight loss surgery. To learn more about Houston Northwest Medical Center, a facility accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, visit http://www.hnmc.com/. Hospital Contact Theresa Lewis Marketing Manager 281-440-2444 HealthGrades Contact: Scott Shapiro Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications (720) 963-6584 DATASOURCE: Houston Northwest Medical Center CONTACT: Hospital Contact, Theresa Lewis, Marketing Manager, +1-281-440-2444, , for Houston Northwest Medical Center; or HealthGrades Contact, Scott Shapiro, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications of HealthGrades, +1-720-963-6584, Web site: http://www.hnmc.com/ http://www.healthgrades.com/ http://www.healthgrades.com/

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