Member News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 6, 2009

Silver Cross Home Health Ranked Among the Top 25 Percent of Providers in the Country for the Second Year in a Row

Silver Cross Hospital today announced that it has been named to the 2009 HomeCare Elite, a compilation of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. This annual review identifies the top 25 percent of agencies and highlights the top 100 and top 500 agencies overall. Winners are ranked by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, quality improvement and financial performance. This is the second consecutive year that Silver Cross has made the HomeCare Elite list.

"The 2009 HomeCare Elite winners demonstrate a commitment to providing their patients with the best care while performing at the highest level," said Nancy Buller, Senior Director of Marketing Communications at OCS, Inc. "We congratulate Silver Cross Hospital on being one of the top home care agencies in the country."

Donna Yack, Manager of Home Health Services at Silver Cross Hospital credits strong dedication to teamwork and high quality standards with the company's ability to rank as one of the HomeCare Elite. She said, "Silver Cross is thrilled to be recognized for the second year in a row for our quality successes which are a direct result from our dedicated team of Home Health professionals. By continuing to enhance the quality of home healthcare we provide to our patients, we can ensure to deliver the best healthcare experience to our patients in the comfort of their own homes."

The data used for this analysis was compiled from publicly available information from the Home Health Compare and the CMS cost reports. By seeking care at a facility with quality successes, patients can ensure they will receive a higher quality of care in a safer environment.

"DecisionHealth would like to congratulate the top HomeCare Elite agencies that achieved excellent clinical and financial outcomes by providing quality care to their patients," adds Marci Heydt, Executive Editor of DecisionHealth's Home Health Line.

The 2009 HomeCare Elite is the only performance recognition of its kind in the home health industry. The 2009 HomeCare Elite is brought to the industry by OCS HomeCare, the leading provider of homecare information, and DecisionHealth, publisher of homecare's most respected independent newsletter …Home Health Line. The entire list of the 2009 HomeCare Elite agencies can be viewed by visiting the OCS Web site at www.ocshomecare.com.

Silver Cross Home Health offers comprehensive in-home services for patients who are ready to complete their recovery in the comfort of their own homes. Our expert staff provides a full range of skilled services including wound care, catheter care, infusion therapy, disease and medication management. Also included in our scope of services are physical and occupational therapy. When therapy is incorporated into the patient's plan of care, an improvement in the patient's functional and safety status as well as a marked independence relating to their activities of daily living is often evident. Staff carefully monitor the patient's progress, identify and report any condition changes to the patient's physician. Patients and their caregivers are taught how to manage the patient's healthcare needs independently which allows the majority of Silver Cross Home Health patients to remain in their home after the patient's individual goals have been met.

Silver Cross Home Health is Medicare Certified, licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the first home health agency in the area to be accredited by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Silver Cross Home Health is also a member of the National Association of Home Care and the Illinois Home Care Council.

About OCS HomeCare
OCS HomeCare empowers home health and hospice organizations with results-driven data intelligence, plus the largest and most accurate homecare database in the industry. Homecare providers, payers, associations, government agencies, vendors and consultants all turn to OCS to elevate decision-making, raise the bar on results, and bring home positive outcomes. For more information about OCS HomeCare, visit www.ocshomecare.com or call 888.325.3396.

About DecisionHealth
For more than 30 years, DecisionHealth has served as the industry's leading source for news, analysis and instructional guidance with cutting edge information sources, such as Home Health Line, OASIS-C & Outcome Solutions, Diagnosis Coding Pro for Home Health and Inside the Joint Commission. Our unique blend of award-winning on-staff journalists and unmatched access to health care executives, providers, healthcare organization managers and their revenue-cycle staffs enables us to provide solutions, tools and guidance that's relied on by health care professionals. For more information, visit www.DecisionHealth.com or call 877.602.3835.

About Silver Cross Hospital
Silver Cross Hospital is a not-for-profit health care provider serving Will County and southwest suburban communities since 1895. Silver Cross has been recognized as a Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals National Award winner for the last five consecutive years and as one of America's Most Customer Friendly Hospitals by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers. With over 2,500 employees, physicians and volunteers, Silver Cross operates a 304-bed acute care hospital and eight satellite facilities providing outpatient services and physician offices. Construction has begun to build a state-of-the-art replacement hospital opening in 2012 in New Lenox. To learn more about Silver Cross Hospital or a referral to a physician on staff, visit www.silvercross.org or call 1-888-660-HEAL (4325).