Banner Good Samaritan recognized as a “Best Hospital” in U.S.News & World Report

Commendations in Endocrinology, Gynecology and Heart Care

PHOENIX (July 7, 2006) — For a seventh year, U.S.News & World Report has recognized Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in the magazine’s annual “Best Hospitals” issue.

“We are honored to be recognized as one of the nation’s Best Hospitals, but we are especially pleased to be ranked in specialties that are so central to our patients’ needs,” said David Cheney, Senior Administrator at Banner Good Samaritan.

Banner Health’s flagship hospital was recognized in 2006 for three of its primary clinical programs – Heart care/Heart surgery (#20), Obstetrics/Gynecology (#39) and Endocrinology (#44). Magazine researchers considered 16 specialties, and ranked the top 50 hospitals in the country in each of these categories.

“This is a tremendous recognition for Banner Good Samaritan, and a well-deserved tribute to our physicians, staff and volunteers that make a difference in people’s lives everyday,” said Susan Edwards, President, Arizona Region, for Banner Health.

Researchers for U.S. News survey 5,189 American hospitals each year in preparation for this much anticipated issue. Of those medical facilities, only 176 (3 percent) were ultimately included in the 2006 report. To qualify for further review, hospitals had to be affiliated with the Council of Teaching Hospitals or a medical school, or they had offer key pieces of state-of-the-art medical technology. Then the magazine looked at mortality and quality data, patient volume, nursing care, patient services, and overall reputation.

According to U.S. News, “Good hospital care probably is around the corner, if all you need is a routine procedure—sometimes even major surgery. But a difficult condition or a complex operation demands a higher standard of care, especially if the risk is compounded by advanced age, frailty, obesity, or some other complication. That describes the patients U.S. News set out to help, starting in 1990, with ‘America's Best Hospitals.’ ”

Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center has been providing medical care to Arizona and the Southwest since 1911. The hospital’s parent company is Phoenix-based Banner Health, a not-for-profit organization. Banner Good Samaritan was recently named to Solucient’s “100 Top Hospitals” list for Cardiovascular Care, and was recognized as a Magnet facility, the gold standard in nursing excellence, by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

To review the 2006 Best Hospital survey results please visit www.usnews.com/besthospitals.

Contact:
Banner Good Samaritan Public Relations
(602) 239-4411