Sentara Heart Again Recognized Among Nation’s Best 

NORFOLK, VA. (July 15, 2010)  – For the 11th year, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and Sentara Heart Hospital rank among the nation’s best heart programs. Listed 43rd in the U.S. News & World Report's 2010-11 Best Hospitals, Sentara posts a mortality score that is better than five of the top ten programs on the list.

Sentara remains the only heart program in this region and only one of two hospitals in Virginia to be ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

Citing teamwork and an ongoing commitment to safe, high quality patient care, Joseph Butz, administrator for Sentara Heart Hospital, expressed his appreciation for the Sentara Heart physicians and staff.

“We continue to be proud of and focused on our quality agenda,” said Butz. “All of our rankings, both past and present, reflect almost exclusively our quality metrics. We are proud of our Magnet status and our focus on providing the very best patient care.”

The Magnet Recognition Program® is administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and is an affiliate of the American Nurses Association. Magnet hospitals have a strong culture of cooperation among nurses and physicians, which enhances patient safety and improves quality outcomes.

Best Hospitals 2010-11 includes rankings of 152 medical centers nationwide in 16 specialties, including cancer, diabetes and endocrinology, ear, nose, and throat, gastroenterology, geriatrics, gynecology, heart and heart surgery, kidney disorders, neurology and neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopedics, psychiatry, pulmonology, rehabilitation, rheumatology, and urology.

The U.S. News and World Report rankings in Heart & Heart Surgery were driven by hard data such as death rates, patient safety, and other care factors (i.e. technology, patient services and balance of nurses and patients). In addition, more subjective data like reputation were factored into the rankings.

To see the full list of 2010-11 Best Hospitals, visit www.usnews.com/besthospitals

For more health information and the latest press releases, go to the Sentara news page on Sentara.com.