West Boca Medical Center joins 518 other hospitals featured in an advertisement in the July 21 “America’s Best Hospitals” issue of US News & World Report.

GWTG is a hospital based quality-improvement program designed to ensure that hospitals consistently care for cardiac and stroke patients following the most up-to-date guidelines and recommendations. The program provides three modules that address coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke. Currently more than 1,450 hospitals use one or more GWTG modules.

Upon meeting each module’s criteria, hospitals are recognized if at least 85 percent of their cardiac or stroke patients are treated and discharged according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s recommendations.

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s advertisement recognizes West Boca Medical Center’s commitment and success in performance achievement.

“The American Heart Association is pleased to recognize its top Get With The Guidelines participants,” said Gregg C Fonarow, M.D., national chairman, Get With The Guidelines steering committee and director, Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center. “The program makes it easier for hospitals like West Boca Medical Center to provide appropriate evidence-based care and ultimately improve the quality of life and help reduce the number of deaths in these heart and stroke patients.”

“We are proud that the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association have chosen the ‘America’s Best Hospitals’ issue of US News & World Report to recognize West Boca Medical Center for our achievements in their Get With The Guidelines program,” said Linda-Jean Long, Marketing Director for West Boca Medical Center. “Get With The Guidelines gives our professionals the tools and reports they need to effectively treat our coronary heart disease, heart failure and stroke patients.”

West Boca Medical Center, part of Tenet South Florida, is a 185-bed acute care hospital located at 21644 State Road 7 in Boca Raton, Florida. The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of the community and surrounding areas for over 20 years.

West Boca Medical Center offers a broad array of services, including general medical and surgical care, cardiac and surgical intensive care, outpatient surgery services, 24-hour emergency services for adults and children, diabetes education, a cystic fibrosis program for adults and children, outpatient rehabilitation services and a sleep diagnostic center.

The hospital also offers several specialties, including a level III neonatal intensive care unit, the BirthCare Pavilion, a pediatric unit and a pediatric intensive care unit. It is also a recipient of the HealthGrades Maternity Care Excellence Award two years in a row (2006/2007 and 2007/2008). HealthGrades ranks West Boca’s maternity program among the top 5% five percent in the nation.”

West Boca Medical Center is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. For more information about West Boca Medical Center or referral to a da Vinci certified surgeon, call 866-904-WBMC (9262).

Get With The Guidelines^SM (GWTG) is the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that empowers healthcare teams to save lives and reduce healthcare costs by helping hospitals follow evidence-based guidelines and recommendations. Experience has shown that 80,000 lives could be saved annually if the coronary artery disease (GWTG-CAD) module alone was implemented nationwide.

West Boca Medical Center recently received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines –Coronary Artery Disease (GWTG–CAD) Gold Performance Achievement Award.

The award recognizes West Boca Medical Center’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of cardiac care that effectively improves treatment of patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease.

Under the GWTG–CAD program, patients are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin, ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers in the hospital and receive smoking cessation/weight management counseling as well as referrals for cardiac rehabilitation before they are discharged.

Hospitals that receive the GWTG-CAD Gold Performance Achievement Award have demonstrated for 24 consecutive months that at least 85 percent of its eligible coronary patients (without contraindications) are discharged following the American Heart Association’s recommended treatment guidelines.

“The American Heart Association applauds West Boca Medical Center for its success in implementing the appropriate evidence-based care and protocols to reduce the number of recurrent events and deaths in cardiovascular disease patients,” said Gregg C Fonarow, M.D., National Chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and Director of Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center.  “West Boca Medical Center has achieved a high level of performance in terms of implementing these life-prolonging treatments.”

“West Boca Medical Center is dedicated to making our cardiac unit among the best in the country, and the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines program is helping us accomplish that by making it easier for our professionals to improve the long-term outcomes of our cardiac patients,” said Linda-Jean Long, Director of Marketing. “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care.”

The American Heart Association’s GWTG–CAD program helps hospitals increase the use of and adherence to the association’s secondary prevention guidelines for coronary artery disease. Developed to assist healthcare professionals follow proven standards and procedures before patients are discharged, GWTG–CAD can help

West Boca Medical Center reduce the risk of recurrent heart attacks and death in treated patients. The program, which works by mobilizing teams in acute care hospitals to implement American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology secondary prevention guidelines, was developed with support from an unrestricted educational grant from Merck & Co., Inc.

According to the American Heart Association, approximately 565,000 people suffer a new heart attack and 300,000 experience a recurrent heart attack each year. Statistics also show that within one year of a heart attack, 18 percent of men and 23 percent of women will die. Within five years after an attack, about 33 percent of men and 43 percent of women will die.

The American Heart Association’s GWTG program is being implemented in hospitals around the country.

See the news clip -- Dr. Michele Moraes

Boca Raton, FL – West Boca Medical Center (WBMC) announces that two of its physicians, Michele Moraes, MD, and Brian Moraes, DO, recently received recognition for their excellent quality of work and compassion for patients.

Dr. Michele Moraes was named Best Dermatologist in Boca by the Boca Raton Forum and West Boca Forum publications, and husband Dr. Brian Moraes was named West Boca Medical Center's community-based Physician of the Year.

Dr. Michele Moraes is board-certified and has been practicing in Boca Raton for 10 years, specializing in skin cancer treatment and screenings, acne, rosacea, psoriasis, hair loss, nail and skin fungus and rashes. She offers laser treatments, as well as Botox, Restylane, and Perlane.

Dr. Brian Moraes was honored for kindness, dedication and commitment to patients. The hospital made a $500 donation to Dr. Moraes’ favorite charity, the Nova Southeastern University Education Endowment Fund.

Board-certified, he has been a member of the hospital medical staff since 2001 and is Chairman, Department of Medicine.  Dr. Moraes supports his colleagues and hospital without hesitation and has demonstrated great compassion and teamwork in assisting with the grievance committee.

About West Boca Medical Center:

West Boca Medical Center, part of Tenet South Florida, is a 195-bed acute care hospital located at 21644 State Road 7 in Boca Raton, Florida. West Boca Medical Center has been serving the medical and healthcare needs of its community and surrounding areas for over 20 years.
 
West Boca Medical Center offers a broad array of services, including general medical and surgical care, orthopedics and sports medicine, a robotic surgery program offering minimally invasive surgery for gynecological, urological and general surgical procedures, a state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging center featuring open MRI and digital mammography, cardiac and surgical intensive care, outpatient surgery services, 24-hour emergency services for adults and children, diabetes education, a cystic fibrosis program for adults and children, outpatient rehabilitation services and a specialized sleep diagnostic center with a dedicated lab for infants and pediatrics as well as adults. West Boca Medical Center is also a Certified Primary Stroke Center.

The hospital also offers several specialties, including a level III neonatal intensive care unit, the BirthCare Pavilion, a pediatric unit and a pediatric intensive care unit.  It is also a recipient of the HealthGrades Maternity Care Excellence Award four years in a row (2006/2007 and 2007/2008, 2008/2009 and 2009/2010). HealthGrades has ranked West Boca’s maternity program among the top 5% five percent in the nation for three years in a row (2007/2008, 2008/2009, 2009/2010).

The hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. For more information about West Boca Medical Center or for physician referral, call 866-904-WBMC (9262).

The Circle of Excellence honors Tenet hospitals that have achieved the highest levels of quality, service and operational performance.  Key metrics used to evaluate the hospitals were patient, physician and employee satisfaction scores, clinical quality and financial performance.

Boca Raton, FL – West Boca Medical Center has earned Quality Respiratory Care Recognition (QRCR) under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available in hospitals.  

About 700 of the 5,000 hospitals in the U.S. are Quality Respiratory Care Institutions. 

The QRCR program was started by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) in 2003 to help consumers identify those facilities using qualified respiratory therapists to provide respiratory care.  Hospitals earning the QRCR designation ensure patient safety by agreeing to adhere to a strict set of criteria governing their respiratory care services. 

To qualify for the recognition, West Boca Medical Center provided documentation showing it meets the following conditions:

• All respiratory therapists employed by the hospital to deliver bedside respiratory care services are either legally recognized by the state as competent to provide respiratory care services or hold the CRT or RRT credential
  
• Respiratory therapists are available 24 hours
  
• Other personnel qualified to perform specific respiratory procedures and the amount of supervision required for personnel to carry out specific procedures must be designated in writing
  
• A doctor of medicine or osteopathy is designated as medical director of respiratory care services
• Hospital policy prohibits the routine delivery of medicated aerosol treatments utilizing small volume nebulizers, metered does inhalers, or intermittent positive pressure treatments to multiple patients simultaneously. Circumstances under which this practice is permitted are defined by policy.

The AARC’s QRCR program grew out of growing concerns among health care leaders and the general public regarding the safety and quality of health care services provided to patients.  Hospitals that meet the QRCR requirements provide a level of respiratory care consistent with national standards and guidelines, and should be commended for their commitment to quality care.  A list of QRCR hospitals is maintained at the association’s website for consumers, www.YourLungHealth.org.

Respiratory therapists are specially trained health care professionals who work under physician’s orders to provide a wide range of breathing treatments and other services to people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, AIDS, and other lung or lung-related conditions.  They also care for premature infants and are key members of lifesaving response teams charged with handling medical emergencies. 
 

About West Boca Medical Center:

West Boca Medical Center, part of Tenet South Florida, is a 195-bed acute care hospital located at 21644 State Road 7 in Boca Raton, Florida. The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of the community and surrounding areas for over 20 years.
 
West Boca Medical Center offers a broad array of services, including general medical and surgical care, cardiac and surgical intensive care, outpatient surgery services, 24-hour emergency services for adults and children, diabetes education, a cystic fibrosis program for adults and children, outpatient rehabilitation services and a sleep diagnostic center. The hospital also offers several specialties, including a level III neonatal intensive care unit, the BirthCare Pavilion, a pediatric unit and a pediatric intensive care unit.  It is also a recipient of the HealthGrades Maternity Care Excellence Award four years in a row (2006/2007 and 2007/2008, 2008/2009 and 2009/2010). HealthGrades ranks West Boca’s maternity program among the top 5% five percent in the nation.
 
West Boca Medical Center is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. For more information about West Boca Medical Center or for physician referral, call 866-904-WBMC (9262).

The agreement includes the following products offered by Coventry:

• Vista commercial products
  
• Coventry commercial products
  
• First Health Network PPO and workers’ compensation products
  
• Vista and Summit Medicare products
  
• Vista Medicaid and Healthy Kids products.
  

Tenet Healthcare Corporation is a health care services company whose subsidiaries and affiliates own and operate acute care hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and diagnostic imaging centers.  Tenet's hospitals and related health care facilities are committed to providing high quality care to patients in the communities they serve.  For more information, please visit www.tenethealth.com.

Some of the statements in this release may constitute forward-looking statements.  Such statements are based on our current expectations and could be affected by numerous factors and are subject to various risks and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2010, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and periodic reports on Form 8-K.  Do not rely on any forward-looking statement, as we cannot predict or control many of the factors that ultimately may affect our ability to achieve the results estimated.  We make no promise to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of changes in underlying factors, new information, future events or otherwise.

BOCA RATON, FL -- West Boca Medical Center recently received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines –Coronary Artery Disease Gold Performance Achievement Award.

Under the Get With The Guidelines –CAD program, patients are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin, ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers in the hospital and receive smoking cessation/weight management counseling as well as referrals for cardiac rehabilitation before they are discharged.

Hospitals that receive the Get With The Guidelines -CAD Gold Performance Achievement Award have demonstrated for 24 consecutive months that at least 85 percent of its eligible coronary patients (without contraindications) are discharged following the American Heart Association’s recommended treatment guidelines. 

 “The American Heart Association applauds West Boca Medical Center for its success in implementing the appropriate evidence-based care and protocols to reduce the number of recurrent events and deaths in cardiovascular disease patients,” said Gregg C Fonarow, M.D., National Chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and Director of Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center. “West Boca Medical Center has achieved a high level of performance in terms of implementing these life-prolonging treatments.”

 “West Boca Medical Center is dedicated to making our cardiac unit among the best in the country, and the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines program is helping us accomplish that by making it easier for our professionals to improve the long-term outcomes of our cardiac patients,” said hospital CEO Mitch Feldman. “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care.”

The American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines –CAD program helps hospitals increase the use of and adherence to the association’s secondary prevention guidelines for coronary artery disease. Developed to assist healthcare professionals follow proven standards and procedures before patients are discharged, Get With The Guidelines –CAD can help West Boca Medical Center reduce the risk of recurrent heart attacks and death in treated patients. The program, which works by mobilizing teams in acute care hospitals to implement American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology secondary prevention guidelines.

According to the American Heart Association, approximately 610,000 people suffer a new heart attack and 325,000 experience a recurrent heart attack each year. Statistics also show 1.26 million individuals are affected by CAD* each year.  Additionally, one in five deaths in the United States is caused by CAD.

###

*CAD data was taken from 2009 AHA CHD Statistical Update
 
About West Boca Medical Center

West Boca Medical Center, part of Tenet South Florida, is a 195-bed acute care hospital located at 21644 State Road 7 in Boca Raton, Florida. The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of the community and surrounding areas for over 20 years.
 
West Boca Medical Center offers a broad array of services, including general medical and surgical care, cardiac and surgical intensive care, outpatient surgery services, 24-hour emergency services for adults and children, diabetes education, a cystic fibrosis program for adults and children, outpatient rehabilitation services and a sleep diagnostic center. The hospital also offers several specialties, including a level III neonatal intensive care unit, the BirthCare Pavilion, a pediatric unit and a pediatric intensive care unit.  It is also a recipient of the HealthGrades Maternity Care Excellence Award four years in a row (2006/2007 and 2007/2008, 2008/2009 and 2009/2010). HealthGrades ranks West Boca’s maternity program among the top 5% five percent in the nation.
 
West Boca Medical Center is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. For more information about West Boca Medical Center or for physician referral, call 866-904-WBMC (9262).