3/7/2006 - St. Helena Hospital’s Heart Program Ranked #1 for Clinical Quality Excellence St. Helena Hospital in the Napa Valley is ranked best (#1) in the North Coast/North Bay area in Cardiology Services and Coronary Interventions in 2006 according to HealthGrades, the nation’s leading healthcare quality company. St. Helena Hospital's ratings place the hospital as the best rated provider in the North Bay/North Coast region of California for Cardiology Services four years in a row. "The #1 ranking from HealthGrades demonstrates our commitment to quality healthcare and validates the ongoing clinical excellence within St. Helena Hospital", said JoAline Olson, President & CEO. "We know we provide high quality healthcare to our community, but it’s always good to have an independent, objective national source recognize the quality care that our physicians, nurses and staff deliver to patients and families every day." St. Helena Hospital was also the only California hospital to finish in the top 10 percent of the nation in the treatment of heart failure in a groundbreaking patient quality improvement project sponsored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). "In the North Bay/North Coast region, St. Helena Hospital stands out notably in terms of delivering quality care for its cardiac and vascular patients," said Tod Baker, HealthGrades senior vice president-provider services. "Patients, families and employers here truly have access to healthcare that is among the best in the nation," Baker added. As part of its eighth annual Hospital Quality in America Study, HealthGrades independently analyzed nearly 5,000 hospitals in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for its 2005 ratings, objectively assessing their clinical outcomes, performance and quality. The HealthGrades ratings measure whether patient outcomes for each of more than two dozen procedures and diagnoses are better than expected (5-Star), as expected (3-Star), or worse than expected (1-Star). Earning a 5-Star designation indicates that a hospital has scored in the Top 15 percent or better in the nation for clinical quality. “The objective HealthGrades ratings of hospital performance help consumers make better and more informed healthcare choices,” explained Tod Baker, HealthGrades senior vice president-provider services. “With more consumer driven health plans and information about healthcare providers available on the Internet, consumers are demanding more information about healthcare and are using it in their healthcare purchasing decisions. It’s important for them to know and understand the tremendous difference in clinical quality outcomes between hospitals.” The 2006 HealthGrades ratings for all hospitals nationwide are available, free of charge, on the web at www.healthgrades.com. More than three million unique users and employees of 125 major employers visit the HealthGrades website every 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. About HealthGrades Health Grades, Inc. (NASDAQ: HGRD) is the leading independent healthcare quality company, providing ratings, information and advisory services to healthcare providers, employers, health plans and insurance companies. HealthGrades works with healthcare providers to help assess, improve and promote their quality. HealthGrades provides consumers access to information about the clinical quality and patient safety outcomes of healthcare providers and practitioners through its website and provides liability insurers, employers, and payers with critical information about healthcare quality and safety. Back