REDLANDS, CA – A report released today by HealthGrades, the nation’s most trusted, independent source of physician information and hospital quality ratings, named Redlands Community Hospital among the top 5% in the nation for Overall Orthopedic Services and the top 5% of the nation for Joint Replacement 2 years in a row (2011-2012).

Choosing a hospital can be a life or death decision. HealthGrades report found that patients treated at 5-star rated hospitals experience a 73% lower risk of mortality and a 63% lower risk of complications compared to 1-star rated hospitals. A quality comparison of doctors and hospitals in the San Bernardino County area can be found online at HealthGrades.com

“For the second year in a row, we’ve achieved superior clinical milestones for our orthopedic services as measured by an independent organization,” said Jim Holmes, Redlands Community Hospital president and CEO. “This hallmark underscores our daily commitment to providing the best quality patient care, not only in our community but in the nation as well. We use this data as a tool to measure ourselves with other hospitals in the country and as a means to continue our quality care initiatives.”

Redlands Community Hospital wholeheartedly supports all efforts to make quality outcomes available to our community and we are pleased to announce that Redlands Community Hospital received the following HealthGrades 2012 Awards:

· Recipient of the HealthGrades Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award™ in 2012

· Recipient of the HealthGrades Joint Replacement Excellence Award™ for 2 Years in a Row (2011-2012)

· Recipient of the HealthGrades Spine Surgery Excellence Award™ in 2012

· Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Overall Orthopedic Services in 2012

· Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Joint Replacement for 2 Years in a Row (2011-2012)

· Ranked Among the Top 10% in the Nation for Spine Surgery in 2012

· Ranked #2 in CA for Overall Orthopedic Services in 2012

· Ranked #6 in CA for Spine Surgery in 2012

· Ranked Among the Top 5 in CA for Overall Orthopedic Services in 2012 (Ranked 2 in 2012)

· Ranked Among the Top 10 in CA for Spine Surgery in 2012 (Ranked 6 in 2012)

Redlands Community Hospital also received a 5-Star rating which means their clinical performance is better than expected in these areas:

· Five-Star Rated for Overall Orthopedic Services in 2012

· Five-Star Rated for Joint Replacement for 5 Years in a Row (2008-2012)

· Five-Star Rated for Spine Surgery in 2012

· Five-Star Rated for Total Knee Replacement for 5 Years in a Row (2008-2012)

· Five-Star Rated for Total Hip Replacement for 2 Years in a Row (2011-2012)

· Five-Star Rated for Hip Fracture Treatment in 2012

· Five-Star Rated for Back and Neck Surgery (except Spinal Fusion) in 2012

· Five-Star Rated for Back and Neck Surgery (Spinal Fusion) for 3 Years in a Row (2010-2012)

“Patients today have a wide array options when it comes to choosing a healthcare provider,” said Kerry Hicks, HealthGrades chief executive officer. “At HealthGrades, we are proud to have led the way for empowering patient choice based on objective clinical outcomes and access to actionable quality measures. We commend Redlands Community Hospital for its superior quality and support of consumerism and transparency.”

Key findings of the HealthGrades 2011 Healthcare Consumerism and Hospital Quality in America report include:

· Patients had, on average a 73% lower risk of dying in a 5-star rated hospital compared to a 1-star rated hospital, and a 54% lower risk of dying in a 5-star rated hospital compared to the national average.

· Patients had, on average, were 63% less likely to experience inhospital complications than patients at 1-star programs, and had a 43% lower chance of developing an inhospital complication than the national average.

· In an online survey, 42% of HealthGrades visitors said that they believe their chances of experiencing an unexpected death or complication is higher in some hospitals in their community compared to others.