December 19, 2003
MEDICAL CENTER NAMED ONE OF “AMERICA’S BEST HOSPITALS” FOR HEART AND HEART SURGERY BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT®

Hackensack University Medical Center Is Only Acute-Care Hospital In New Jersey to Receive A National Ranking
Hackensack University Medical Center has been named one of “America’s Best Hospitals” for heart and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report®. The medical center is the only New Jersey acute-care hospital to receive a ranking.

“We are extremely proud of being ranked once again in U.S. News & World Report,” said John P. Ferguson, president and chief executive officer of the medical center. “Being named a ‘Best Hospital’ is not something that just happens. It reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire healthcare team. Furthermore, the ranking underscores our philosophy that patients have always and will always be our top priority.”

To be ranked, a hospital first must meet certain standards such as affiliation with a medical school, or availability of at least nine of 17 specified items of medical technology. Those criteria helped the magazine narrow 6,003 hospitals down to 2,072. In each specialty, a hospital had to perform a given number of procedures or had to be cited by at least one physician in the past three years of U.S. News surveys. Those hospitals received a score (the U.S. News Index) that equally weighs reputation, mortality, and a group of care-related factors such as nursing. Each specialty's 50 highest-scoring hospitals were listed. Only 203 medical centers nationwide made the rankings.

“We believe and this list helps confirm that Hackensack University Medical Center delivers the most up-to-date and comprehensive care for cardiac patients in New Jersey,” said Louis E. Teichholz, M.D., division chief, Cardiology and director of Cardiac Services at Hackensack University Medical Center.

The Heart Center at Hackensack University Medical Center provides a full-range of state-of-the-art invasive and non-invasive diagnostic and treatment services including electrophysiology studies, a state-designated cardiac catheterization center, and one of the largest open heart surgery programs in the state. Another service offered is Electron Beam Tomography™, (EBT) a revolutionary, non-invasive test that can detect coronary artery disease years before it becomes a problem.

“The medical center also has been recognized for its excellence in cardiac surgery by the New Jersey State Department of Health and Human Services,” said Richard J. Davies, M.D., chairman, Department of Surgery. “For years, the medical center has been a leader for coronary artery bypass surgery.” 

In 2003, the medical center performed nearly 1,296 cardiac surgeries. The medical center continues to find new ways to provide innovative services to its patients.

“Our extensive robotic and minimally invasive surgery services, including the da Vinci ™ Surgical System is helping to change even such complex cardiac surgeries as coronary artery bypass,” said John Alexander, M.D, chief, Cardiac Surgery.

With the da Vinci™ Surgical System, a surgeon sits at a control console that has a three-dimensional viewing system. The console allows the surgeon to position robotic arms and precisely maneuver endoscopic instruments and an endoscope, and a variety of articulating EndoWrist™ Instruments. The medical center is an approved da Vinci™ surgical system training facility for the East Coast and recently became the first hospital in the nation to utilize the new fourth arm technology. 

For more information about cardiac services at Hackensack University Medical Center please call (201) 996-2310 or visit the medical center’s website at www.humc.com. 

Hackensack University Medical Center, a teaching and research hospital affiliated with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - New Jersey Medical School is the largest provider of inpatient and outpatient services in the state of New Jersey. 

HealthGrades®, the national healthcare quality firm honored Hackensack University Medical Center with the 2003 HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™. The award places Hackensack University Medical Center among a group of less than 200 hospitals or 3.3 percent nationally who are at the pinnacle of quality performance across numerous clinical service lines. In addition HealthGrades rated Hackensack University Medical Center highly in several specialty areas. The hospital was ranked among the top ten percent of hospitals nationally for overall cardiac services, and achieved a top five percent national designation for cardiology services. Stroke care at the hospital was ranked among the top five percent of hospitals nationally.

In the fall of 2003, the medical center was recognized for service excellence under the new J.D. Power and Associates Distinguished Hospital Program.SM This distinction acknowledges a strong commitment from HUMC to provide an outstanding patient experience. The service excellence distinction was determined by surveying a random sample of recently discharged patients from HUMC on their perceptions of their hospital stay and comparing the results to the national benchmark established by the J.D. Power and Associates 2003 Hospital Service Performance Study.SM The research identified five key drivers of patient satisfaction with their overall hospital experience: dignity and respect; speed and efficiency; comfort; information and communication; and emotional support.

The medical center has been honored since 1995 as the first hospital in New Jersey to receive the Magnet Award for nursing excellence from The American Nurses Credentialing Center, and the second hospital in the nation to receive a four-year redesignation of this award. HUMC was again redesignated in 2003. The medical center is also the recipient of the Consumer Choice Award for eight consecutive years. Based on a national survey by the National Research Corporation of 140,000 households to determine the leading hospitals in the country, the medical center was named as the hospital of choice in Bergen and Passaic counties for quality of staff, community programs, personalized care, and overall reputation. 

Hackensack University Medical Center is one of the first two hospitals in the nation to receive The Governor’s Gold Award for Performance Excellence. The Quality New Jersey’s 2001 award is based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award established by the U.S. Congress in 1987 to improve organizational performance and to enhance the nation’s ability in the global marketplace. This is the highest award level and indicative that the medical center has sound systematic approaches and fact-based improvement processes in place.


 

 

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