September 15, 2009, McMinnville, Ore – In the midst of a national discussion focusing on the affordability and quality of healthcare in America, Willamette Valley Medical Center has been ranked number one in value in the Portland Metro Area by the Hospital Value Index™.

For more information on this study, visit www.data-advantage.com or call 866-996-3282.

Willamette Valley Medical Center also ranked among the top 15 percent of hospitals nationwide in the Hospital Value Index™ study. 

By analyzing data from approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide, the Hospital Value Index™ ranked hospitals by measuring their success in quality, affordability & efficiency, and patient satisfaction to provide a type of consumer scorecard. Data Advantage LLC, an independent healthcare data company, conducted the study, and survey results were announced today.

Willamette Valley Medical Center earned four different 2009-2010 awards: Best in Market™, Best in State™, Best in Region™ and Best Kept Secret™.

“At a time when the nation is focused on discussing how to provide both high quality and affordable healthcare, it’s great to earn recognition for doing just that,” said Rosemari Davis, chief executive officer of Willamette Valley Medical Center. “Consumer education is increasingly important when making healthcare decisions. This study from an independent source verifies the value we provide area patients.”

Key findings in the Hospital Value Index™ include:

• The highest value hospital care is often provided by community-based hospitals, suggesting that consumers may find high value close to home and that policymakers should expand their search for models of reform beyond “name-brand” teaching hospitals.
• If all hospitals in the U.S. performed at the average benchmark for the Best in Value™ hospitals, 9.3% of costs, or approximately $60 Billion, could be eliminated from annual hospital spending on an all-payer basis.

“Value is increasingly important to patients and consumers who decide which hospital they will access for care,” said Hal Andrews, chief executive officer of Data Advantage. “The Hospital Value Index™ is the first award to recognize those hospitals providing exceptional value of care to their communities, and Willamette Valley Medical Center has achieved great results.”

The Hospital Value Index™ used data from approximately 4,500 general acute-care hospitals, serving approximately 30.1 million consumers. It defines a hospital’s “value” by its success in four critical areas:

• Quality, including CMS’s Core Measures, patient safety and readmission rates;
• Efficiency, including the relative measure of the cost to the hospital for providing services;
• Affordability, a relative comparison of prices charged for inpatient and outpatient services; and
• Patient satisfaction as measured by HCAHPS.

"It’s important for us to serve our communities by providing quality healthcare affordably,” said Davis. “And the study is another indicator that we are meeting our communities’ needs.”

About Data Advantage, LLC
Data Advantage, LLC is a privately held healthcare information company that specializes in providing the healthcare and business communities with objective and comprehensive data solutions. The company has aggregated and compiled a warehouse of the most insightful information about healthcare utilization and maintains comprehensive benchmark data about the financial, operational and clinical performance of the U.S. hospital industry. For more information, visit www.data-advantage.com or call 866-996-3282.