NEWS FROM......ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, AMSTERDAM
427 Guy Park Avenue
Amsterdam, NY 12010
(518 770-7505
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 20, 2009
PR 2009-46
ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL UROLOGICAL TEAM EARNS 5 STAR RATING FOR PROSTATECTOMY
St. Mary's Ranks in Top 5% of the Nation for Prostatectomy and Third in New York
[Amsterdam, NY] (November 20, 2009) - St. Mary's Hospital's Urology program today announced a 5-star rating from HealthGrades, for its prostatectomy outcomes. A prostatectomy is an operation to remove all or part of the male prostate gland. This rating places St. Mary's in the top 5% of the Nation for Prostatectomy quality outcomes and third in the state of New York.
Vic Giulianelli, President and CEO of St. Mary's said "our Urology team, led by Dr. Ghazi-Moghadam and Dr. Lehr, is committed to quality care, and our entire organization is extremely proud of this achievement. We are especially pleased to be the third highest rated Prostatectomy program in all of New York State. This rating is an example of how outstanding team work delivers exceptional care to our patients. We extend our congratulations to the entire Urology team including the anesthesiologists, O.R. staff, Ambulatory Care staff, St. Theresa's Hall Housekeeping, Central Sterile Supply and the case management staff for their outstanding teamwork."
Dr. M. Ghazi echoes those comments as he states that "the staff at St. Mary's is among some of the most competent individuals I have worked with. Their intuitive knowledge and compassion for the total needs of the patient is outstanding and that contributes greatly to the progress and the recovery of each patient."
Dr. David Lehr states "I have been with St. Mary's Hospital for over four years and in that time, I have come to realize how special St. Mary's is to the lives of residents of Fulton and Montgomery Counties. St. Mary's prides itself on keeping in tune with the technological advancements, urological techniques and employing a dedicated team of professionals to treat every patient."
HealthGrades Ratings
HealthGrades is the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. In developing its 2009 healthcare quality ratings, HealthGrades analyzed more than 41 million Medicare hospitalization records from 2006 to 2008 at the nations approximately 5,000 non-federal hospitals.
Hospitals with outcomes that are above average to a statistically significant degree receive a 5 star rating. Hospitals with average outcomes receive a 3 star rating, hospitals with outcomes that are below average receive a 1 star rating. Because no two hospitals or their patient's risk profiles are alike, HealthGrades employees extensive risk-adjustment algorithms to ensure that it is making analogous comparisons.
More information on the HealthGrades methodology, or to view free quality ratings of 28 procedures and treatments, please visit http://www.healthgrades.com/.
About St. Mary's
St. Mary's is a 313 bed hospital and nursing home primarily serving the communities of Fulton and Montgomery. The service network includes an extensive network of health and specialty centers throughout the two county area as well as comprehensive behavioral health services. Past awards include 5 star rated Maternity Care Services by HealthGrades, a Top Rating for General Surgery by HealthGrades, The New York State Department of Health Patient Safety Award, and most recently the New York State Department of Health Pinnacle Award. For more information about St. Mary's Hospital, visit our web site at www.smha.org.
St. Mary's Hospital at Amsterdam is a member of Ascension Health (http://www.ascensionhealth.org/). Ascension Health is transforming healthcare by providing the highest quality care to all, with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Ascension Health, which provided $808 million in care of persons who are poor and community benefit last year, is the nation's largest Catholic and nonprofit health system. Our Mission-focused Health Ministries consist of 106,000 associates serving in 20 states and the District of Columbia.
Public Relations Contact: Jacqueline Marciniak
Public Relations Coordinator
St. Mary's Hospital
marciniakj@smha.org
(518) 770-7505
