St. Mary's Hospital Receives Quality Award

Rogers, AR (May 11, 2006) - St. Mary's Hospital has been honored by the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care (AFMC) as a recipient of a 2006 Hospital Quality Achievement Award. The Rogers hospital was recognized for healthcare quality by AFMC at its annual quality conference on May 4, 2006 in Little Rock.

For its continued commitment to excellence in healthcare, St. Mary's received the Platinum Hospital Quality Achievement Award, the highest level awarded by AFMC. Eligibility for the award is dependent upon the healthcare providers' implementation of research-based best practice guidelines in the care of patients with heart attack, heart failure, inpatient pneumonia or surgical infection prevention.

"Each day, we strive to provide our patients with the highest quality healthcare in the area," said Susan Barrett, President and CEO of St. Mary's Hospital. "Receiving this award lets me know that our efforts aren't going unnoticed." Mercy Health System of Northwest Arkansas, which owns and operates St. Mary's, has reinforced its commitment to patient safety and quality care by building them into the blueprint of its new medical campus, which is scheduled to open in 2007. When completed, the facility will incorporate state-of-the-art technology, strategic partnerships, a unique distribution model and new work processes to support exceptional patient care and provide a technologically advanced workplace to aid caregivers.

"Providing high-quality care to our patients is something of which we're very proud," said Catherine Kite, Executive Director of Quality Management for St. Mary's, who, along with Paula King, Quality Measures Coordinator and Lee Ann Hupp, Case Management/Social Services Supervisor, received the award on the hospital's behalf. "It is truly a team effort. We are very fortunate to have such outstanding physicians, nurses, ancillary and quality management co-workers who are committed to providing world-class healthcare to our patients."

The most recent publicly reported quality measures data posted on the CMS website ( http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/) indicates that St. Mary's exceeds all other Northwest Arkansas hospitals in 11 of 16 measures based on the care of patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction, Heart Failure and Pneumonia. St. Mary's Hospital exceeds state and national averages in many of these quality of care measures as well.