Camden hospitals are among the top nationwide for quality healthcare according to a recent study by doctors at Harvard University's School of Public Health. In the study of thousands of hospitals, the Camden area ranked in the top five areas of the nation for quality of care in two performance measures--congestive heart failure and pneumonia--and in the top 10 for heart attack.

The study analyzed data from 3,500 hospitals in the country, based on 2004 data reports to the government-sponsored Hospital Quality Alliance program. Camden ranked fourth out of 40 regions in congestive heart failure and pneumonia, and seventh in heart attack, and scored better than major metropolitan cities like Philadelphia and New York City in all three categories.

Hospitals were compared based on 10 criteria that nearly all physicians agree on, including:

• Was aspirin prescribed after discharge for heart attack patients?
• Assessment made of left ventricular function for heart failure patients?
• Did pneumonia patients get vaccinated?

"The standard of care at Our Lady of Lourdes has been validated to be superior nationally," said Alexander J. Hatala, president, Lourdes Health System. "We adhere to the best medical standards, continually improving upon the breadth and depth of the medical expertise we provide our patients, including new facilities, excellent staff and the latest technology." Lourdes Health System is comprised of Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, a 410-bed tertiary care teaching hospital located in Camden, and Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County, a 259-bed community hospital located in Willingboro. Lourdes Health System is sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, New York, and is a member of Catholic Health East.