FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For Further Information Contact:
Reggi Veatch
Senior Communications Manager
veatchr@dfmc.org
410-872-9646

Maryland Health Care Event
Monday, April 4, 2005
Sinai Hospital
9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

NEW FEDERAL TOOL WILL HELP DISTRICT CONSUMERS COMPARE LOCAL HOSPITALS' QUALITY OF CARE
Consumers Can Learn Which Hospitals Have the Most Success
Treating Heart Attacks, Heart Failure and Pneumonia

The Delmarva Foundation, the District's Quality Improvement Organization, along with its partners, will launch on April 4 a new quality improvement tool designed to help District residents compare hospitals on their quality of care. Hospital Compare is a new free resource developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) that will enable consumers to publicly access information on key quality of care measures so they can compare hospitals in their communities. It will be available at www.medicare.gov, www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov or via a federal hotline.

With this new tool Maryland consumers will for the first time be able to compare how well local hospitals treat patients for three serious health conditions - heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia. Combined with other information and resources, Hospital Compare will help guide patients toward making an informed decision about hospital care. Delmarva has been working with local hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies and physicians for 30 years and is working with CMS to promote awareness of Hospital Compare.

When: Monday, April 4, 2005, 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m
Continental breakfast will be served

Where: Sinai Hospital, Zamoiski Auditorium
2401 W. Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore, MD
Please park in the Hoffberger parking lot.

Directions: If traveling on 83, take Northern Parkway Exit (Heading West). Turn left onto Belvedere Avenue. Pass the main hospital entrance and parking lot will be immediately on left hand side (there is a guard box right by the entrance).

Who: The Honorable Benjamin Cardin, (D-MD), U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Elijah Cummings, (D-MD), U.S. House of Representatives
Pamela W. Barclay, Interim Executive Director, Maryland Health Care Commission
Carol Benner, Director, Office of Health Care Quality, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Frank Chase, Consumer
Lisa Hines, Deputy Director, Quality Measures Assessment Group-OCSQ, CMS
Barbara J. Epke, Vice President, Sinai Hospital
Maulik Joshi, President and CEO, Delmarva Foundation
Herb Kuhn, Director, Center for Medicare Management, CMS
Calvin Pierson, President, Maryland Hospital Association

To RSVP to this event, please contact Monika Ellis at 301-652-1558, ext. 124 or mellis@burnesscommunications.com

*****Guests will need to show photo identification to George Washington University Hospital Security

###

About Delmarva Foundation
Delmarva Foundation is a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality in over 20 states. Since 1973, Delmarva has assisted in improving care in hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, medical practices and health plans. Delmarva performs quality improvement, quality assurance, utilization review, external quality review and Program Safeguard activities. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Easton, Maryland with other offices in Baltimore, Maryland; Washington, DC; Columbia, South Carolina; Tampa, Florida; and Tallahassee, Florida. For more information, please visit Delmarva Foundation on the web at www.delmarvafoundation.org.