West Virginia University Hospitals has been named one of the top performers in the country in a groundbreaking Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Premier Inc. pay-for-performance project that rewards hospitals for delivering higher quality care.

WVUH was rated in the top 20% of nearly 270 teaching hospitals in the clinical focus areas of heart attack care (acute myocardial infarction -AMI) and heart failure care.

Outstanding patient care is our goal at WVUH ,said Bruce McClymonds, hospital president.This study shows us to be a leader in certain areas of clinical care and we are proud that our performance was rated among the best in the country. It also points out areas where we can improve our care, and make changes to further benefit our patients, which is equally important.

The study measures compliance in specific quality of care practices which can be used in any hospitalincluding providing heart attack patients with aspirin upon arrival, and providing smoking cessation advice before discharge. Research shows these steps measurably improve patientsrecovery.

The Heart Institute at WVU treats hundreds of adult and pediatric patients each month. It includes the regions top cardiologists, heart surgeons and other specialists, and has access to some of the most advanced diagnostic and treatment tools available anywhere.

The HQID Project provides a tool to insure the best care for patients,said Niti Armistead, M.D., vice president for quality and patient safety at WVUH .Excellent care is delivered when all members of the healthcare team work together in a coordinated manner. Our cardiac care has been a great example of a more integrated, multi-disciplinary, patient-focused approach.

The report covers the period of October, 2004 through September, 2005. Complete information about the HQID project, can be found atwww.premierinc.com/qualitydemo.