The Top-Ranked Hospitals in America

24 Mar 2009 16:05 Africa/Lagos

AARP The Magazine Unveils Top-Ranked Hospitals Across The Country

Plus: Doctors' Hospital Picks by Specialty and Tips to Determine If and

WASHINGTON, March 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with more than 34 million readers, today debuted a new interactive map listing the top-ranked hospitals in the U.S. by geographic area. This list (available at www.aarp.org/health) was compiled by Consumers' Checkbook, a nonprofit organization, and coincides with the release of the May/June issue of AARP The Magazine, which features new information and advice for consumers deciding whether or not to travel away from home for medical care. The magazine article also features the results of a national survey in which doctors were asked to give their top picks for out-of-town hospitals based on specialty. With several of the largest U.S. hospitals reporting significant increases in the number of out-of-state patients in the past decade, it's clear that more patients are venturing further from home for care.


(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070209/NYF043LOGO)


Consumers' Checkbook surveyed doctors from across the country and collected 140,000 ratings of hospitals in their own communities and also asked the doctors whether, and where, they would recommend patients seek care in other communities for extremely difficult cases of heart conditions, cancer, and other ailments. The resulting list will help guide patients to appropriate hospitals if they decide they need to travel outside their hometown for care. When asked where they were most likely to send patients with extremely difficult cases, doctors surveyed by Consumers' Checkbook named the following hospitals:


Heart, General
-- Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
-- Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
-- Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA
-- New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, New York, NY
-- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
-- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
-- The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
-- Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA
-- Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston, TX

Cancer, General
-- The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
-- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
-- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
-- Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
-- City of Hope, Duarte, CA
-- The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
-- Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC
-- Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY

Mystery Diagnoses
-- Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
-- Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
-- The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
-- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
-- Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

Neurosurgery
-- Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC
-- Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
-- University of California San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco,
CA
-- Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
-- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
-- The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
-- Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

Eyes
-- Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miami, FL
-- Wills Eye Institute, Philadelphia, PA
-- Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
-- Wilmer Eye Institute, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD


This survey was part of the research for a new book from Consumers' Checkbook (www.checkbook.org) called Consumers' Guide to Hospitals, which uses volumes of government safety statistics and data on death and complication rates, along with survey results, to compare and rank hospitals in the country's 53 largest metro areas. To see the interactive map of Consumers' Checkbook's top 125 hospitals, visit www.aarpmagazine.org/health.


About AARP The Magazine


With more than 34 million readers nationwide, AARP The Magazine (www.aarpmagazine.org) is the world's largest circulation magazine and the definitive lifestyle publication for Americans 50+. Reaching over 24 million households, AARP The Magazine delivers comprehensive content through in-depth celebrity interviews, health and fitness features, consumer interest information and tips, book and movie reviews and financial guidance. Published bimonthly in print and continually online, AARP The Magazine was founded in 1958 and is the flagship title of AARP Publications.About AARPAARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with over 34 million readers; AARP Bulletin and AARP Bulletin Today, the go-to daily news source for AARP's 40 million members and Americans 50+; AARP Segunda Juventud, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our Web site, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.


Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070209/NYF043LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: AARP

CONTACT: Meghan Holston, +1-212-382-4450, meghan.holston@coburnww.com,
or Michelle Alvarez, +1-202-434-2555, malvarez@aarp.org, both of AARP


Web Site: AARP Magazine
Top-Ranked Hospitals

Job Loss Means Fewer Americans Have Health Care Coverage: How Will the Economic Downturn Affect the Small-Joint Implant Market?

24 Mar 2009 13:07 Africa/Lagos

Job Loss Means Fewer Americans Have Health Care Coverage: How Will the Economic Downturn Affect the Small-Joint Implant Market?

Procedure growth and average selling prices to be affected into 2010, according to Millennium Research Group

WALTHAM, Mass., March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Millennium Research Group's (MRG's) US Markets for Small-Joint Implants 2009 report, which includes arthroplasty implants (shoulder, elbow, digit, ankle, and wrist) and arthrodesis devices (ankle, digit, and wrist), the double-digit market growth seen in recent years will continue despite the global economic downturn. Although the current recession will reduce growth in procedure volumes and average selling prices (ASPs) through 2010, the US small-joint implant market will grow to almost $900 million by 2013.


Given the level of job loss in the US over the past several months and the subsequent loss in health care coverage, procedure growth across many implant segments will be negatively affected. Nevertheless, although a continued lack of confidence for a quick economic recovery is leading to slight deferment in small-joint procedures, growth will remain positive and will continue to increase gradually in most segments.


ASP growth for small-joint implants will also be limited as a result of the global economic slowdown. As healthcare budgets are cut by private insurers, government insurers, and hospitals, device manufacturers will be forced to adjust prices in order to maintain share.


"Once the economy recovers, numbers will pick back up. We're seeing an almost 14% compound annual growth in market revenues through 2013," says Kevin Flewwelling, Manager of the Orthopedics division at MRG. "With the COBRA act and President Obama's 65% COBRA subsidy, we expect the economic downturn to only have a minimal effect on the long-term outlook of the small-joint implant market."


MRG's US Markets for Small-Joint Implants 2009 report provides coverage of key industry competitors, including Ascension Orthopedics, Biomet, DePuy, Integra LifeSciences, Small Bone Innovations, Stryker, Synthes, Tornier, Wright Medical Technologies, Zimmer, and many more.


About Millennium Research Group


Millennium Research Group (www.MRG.net), a Decision Resources, Inc. company (www.DecisionResourcesInc.com), is the global authority on medical technology market intelligence and the leading provider of strategic information to the health care sector. The company provides specialized industry expertise through published reports, ongoing Marketrack(TM) projects, and customized solutions.


About Decision Resources, Inc.


Decision Resources, Inc. is a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers best-in-class, high-value information, and insights on important sectors of the health care industry. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed decisions. Please visit Decision Resources, Inc. at www.DecisionResourcesInc.com.


All company, brand, or product names contained in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.


For more information, contact:

Amy Krohn
Millennium Research Group
416-364-7776 x101
akrohn@mrg.net

Elizabeth Marshall
Decision Resources Inc.
781-296-2563
emarshall@dresources.com


Source: Millennium Research Group

CONTACT: Amy Krohn of Millennium Research Group, +1-416-364-7776, Ext.
101, akrohn@mrg.net; or Elizabeth Marshall of Decision Resources Inc.,
+1-781-296-2563, emarshall@dresources.com


Web Site: http://www.mrg.net/

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