The Orem Community Hospital was ranked No. 1 in the state in a recent report conducted by HealthInsight, a health care quality-improvement organization. Other local hospitals were ranked high, as well.

"This report assures patients that our hospitals give the most up-to-date care to help them get well more quickly and enjoy a better quality of life," said David Clark in a news release. He is the regional vice president and CEO for Intermountain Healthcare.

"Our nursing staff, administrators and other clinical professionals work with physicians to identify treatments proven to consistently help patients," Clark said in the release.

All three of Intermountain Healthcare's hospitals in Utah County were ranked among the top six hospitals in the state.

The American Fork Hospital ranked No. 5 while the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo was rated No. 6.

HealthInsight rated more than 4,200 hospitals around the state, using five different categories including quality of care for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical infection prevention.

"Excellence in health care is our primary mission," said Janet Frank, the spokeswoman at Intermountain Healthcare. "This shows that they [Utah Valley residents] don't need to go to Salt Lake for quality health care."

Intermountain Healthcare has made recent improvements to make sure patients can receive care as soon as possible.

The cardiovascular team at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center made changes for heart attack patients to get life-saving treatment more quickly. There is an improved paging system to ensure the staff is notified of heart attack patients faster.

Frank said these changes helped four heart attack patients receive treatment in less than 90 minutes since the time they entered the emergency room.

One category the hospitals were ranked on was the quality of surgical infection prevention. The Orem Community Hospital surgical center has improved the process of getting antibiotics to surgical patients.

"We're your advocate," said Marcy Bailey, a team leader in Orem Community's Surgical Services Department. "We're studying the research literature and working to improve your care every day."

The Mountain View Hospital in Payson was another Utah County hospital ranked in the top ten. Other hospitals that made the top ten include the new Intermountain Medical Center in Murray and the University Health Care Hospitals and Clinics in Salt Lake City.

Copyright Brigham Young University 16 Jul 2008