July 1, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

More Star-Performance by Fremont-Rideout Health Group (Rideout Memorial Hospital) with Top Ratings in Valve Replacement Surgery, Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism, and Appendectomy

According to study, mortality rates at top-rated hospitals have improved 12.8 percent from 2004 to 2006.

(YUBA CITY – Calif.) - Fremont-Rideout Health Group today announced it has been awarded five-star ratings for Valve Replacement Surgery, Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism, and Appendectomy. As part of the Tenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study, patient outcomes were analyzed at virtually all of the nation's 5,000 hospitals and mortality rates were found to have improved 12.8 percent from 2004 to 2006 at the top-rated hospitals, as compared to 11.4 percent at the lowest rated hospitals.

“We are very pleased to once again be recognized by HealthGrades,” said Theresa Hamilton, Chief Executive Officer, Fremont-Rideout Health Group. “Ensuring high quality care is our top priority and these five-star ratings demonstrate the dedication of our medical staff, nurses and clinical teams to our patients.”

The Tenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study identifies key trends in the quality of care provided by approximately 5,000 hospitals nationwide. Analyzing Medicare discharges from nearly every U.S. hospital between 2004 and 2006, risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates were calculated and hospitals were assigned a 1-star (poor), 3-star (as expected), or 5-star (best) quality rating for 28 diagnoses and procedures from heart failure to hip replacement to pneumonia. Individual hospital quality results from this study are available at www.healthgrades.com.

"Our research shows that while the overall quality of hospital care in America is improving, the gap between the best-performing hospitals and the worst persists," said Dr. Samantha Collier, HealthGrades’ chief medical officer and author of the study.

Among the study’s key findings:

• Gaps persist between the "best" and the "worst" hospitals across all procedures and conditions studied. Five-star rated hospitals had statistically significantly lower risk-adjusted mortality across all three years studied.

• Across all procedures and conditions studied, there was an approximate 71 percent lower chance of dying in a 5-star rated hospital compared to a 1-star rated hospital.

Fremont-Rideout Health Group consistently monitors its quality of patient care and enacts standards and procedures to maintain high quality and improve the patient experience. HealthGrades is one of a number of quality and patient satisfaction surveys and benchmarking initiatives measuring patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes in which Fremont-Rideout Health Group participates, including Press Ganey, the California Hospitals Assessment and Reporting Task Force (CHART), the American College of Cardiology, the Society for Thoracic Surgery.