NDIANAPOLIS, IN (January 9, 2006) – The Heart Center of Indiana has received HealthGrades’ 2006 Cardiac Care Excellence AwardTM, according to information released today by HealthGrades, the nation’s leading provider of independent hospital ratings. The Heart Center of Indiana is one of only three hospitals in Indiana to receive the award, and is the only hospital in the state to rank among the top five percent of hospitals nationally for overall cardiac care. The Heart Center of Indiana also ranks among the top five percent of hospitals for cardiology and cardiac interventions and is ranked number one in Indiana for overall cardiac care, for cardiology and for cardiac interventions.

The recognition is based on HealthGrades’ annual analysis of more than 37 million Medicare patient discharges at nearly every hospital in the country. Based on this analysis, The Heart Center of Indiana also received five-star ratings from HealthGrades for:
• The treatment of heart attacks
• The treatment of heart failure
• Cardiac interventions such as angioplasty and stent procedures, and
• Valve replacement surgery.

The Cardiac Care Excellence Award is presented only to those facilities that score among the top 10 percent nationally for overall cardiac care based on risk-adjusted mortality. By risk adjusting the mortality data, HealthGrades gives credit to those hospitals treating older and sicker patients.

“Our primary goal at The Heart Center of Indiana is to continually improve on quality of care and Guest satisfaction. Receiving the HealthGrades Cardiac Care Excellence Award is very rewarding given the hard work and dedication from our physicians and team members”, stated John Stewart, President and CEO of The Heart Center of Indiana.

"As a physician, it’s very gratifying to be affiliated with one of the top cardiovascular programs in the country and to be able to provide the highest level of care and services to our patients”, said Richard Fogel, M.D., The Care Group and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Managers for The Heart Center of Indiana.

As part of its eighth annual Hospital Quality in America Study, HealthGrades independently analyzed more than 5,000 hospitals in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for its 2006 ratings, objectively assessing their clinical outcomes and quality. The data utilized in the assessment is licensed from the federal government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and is risk-adjusted, so that hospitals with differing patient populations can be compared on equal footing. The HealthGrades ratings measure whether patient outcomes for each of more than two dozen procedures and diagnoses are better than expected (5-Star), as expected (3-Star) or worse than expected (1-Star).

“Each year HealthGrades identifies the top performers in several clinical areas, and we’re happy to announce The Heart Center of Indiana is a recipient of the 2006 Cardiac Care Excellence Award™," said Samantha Collier, M.D., HealthGrades vice president of medical affairs.

The 2006 HealthGrades ratings for all hospitals nationwide are available to consumers, free of charge, on the web at www.healthgrades.com. More than two-and-a-half million individuals, and more than 125 of the nation’s largest employers rely on HealthGrades web site to research quality information about hospitals, nursing homes and physicians. HealthGrades also rates hospitals’ patient safety outcomes, based on indicators developed by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.


About The Heart Center of Indiana
The Heart Center of Indiana is an entire complex of facilities and medical specialists focused on providing advanced, specialized treatment of cardiovascular disease in a warm, comfortable and caring environment. The Heart Center of Indiana was the first free-standing heart hospital in the Indianapolis metro area when it opened three years ago, and is a joint venture between St.Vincent Health and the physicians and surgeons of The Care Group and CorVasc. In addition to a state-of-the-art medical and surgical 80-bed hospital, The Heart Center of Indiana is home to a 24/7 Heart Emergency Unit, The Vascular Unit, the Women’s Cardiac Risk Clinic, The Care Group and CorVasc.

About HealthGrades
HealthGrades (Nasdaq:HGRD) is the leading healthcare ratings company, providing ratings and profiles of hospitals, nursing homes and physicians to consumers, corporations, health plans and hospitals. Millions of consumers and hundreds of the nation’s largest employers, health plans and hospitals rely on HealthGrades’ independent ratings to make healthcare decisions based on the quality of care. More information on the company can be found at http://www.healthgrades.com.