Health Alliance Hospitals Place 13 Programs Among the Nation's Best in U.S.News & World Report Annual Guide to "America's Best Hospitals"

Cincinnati & Hamilton, OH - The Christ Hospital, The University Hospital and Fort Hamilton Hospital have placed 13 of their patient care programs among the nation's best in the 2006 U.S.News & World Report annual guide to "America's Best Hospitals." These hospitals are the only local adult care hospitals named to this year's list.

The programs at The Christ Hospital ranked in the "America's Best Hospitals" listing include: Digestive Disorders (49), Heart and Heart Surgery (21), Neurology and Neurosurgery (36) and Respiratory Disorders (38). The University Hospital received rankings in the categories of Digestive Disorders (41), Ear, Nose and Throat (17), Endocrinology (25), Kidney Disease (40), Neurology and Neurosurgery (39), Psychiatry (21), Respiratory Disorders (25), and Urology (31). Fort Hamilton Hospital was ranked in the category of Respiratory Disorders (40).

The U.S.News & World Report "America's Best Hospitals' ranks 16 different medical specialties at hospitals nationwide. The standards for ranking in "Best Hospitals" are rigorous. To be considered for this list, hospitals have to meet any of three standards: membership in the Council of Teaching Hospitals, affiliation with a medical school, or availability of at least nine of 18 key technology-related services. In each specialty, a hospital must have performed a given number of defined procedures or had to be recommended by at least one physician responding to U.S.News surveys in the past three years. These hospitals received a score that equally weighed reputation, death rate and care-related factors such as nursing and patient services. The 50 hospitals in each specialty with the highest score are listed.

The hard copy edition of 2006 "America's Best Hospitals" will be available on newsstands Monday, July 10.

The Christ Hospital, The University Hospital and Fort Hamilton Hospital are part of the Health Alliance, an integrated health care delivery system that also includes The St. Luke Hospitals, The Jewish Hospital, Drake Center, West Chester Medical Center and the physicians of Alliance Primary Care. To view other Health Alliance news releases, go to www.health-alliance.com/pressroom.

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