(Omaha, NE) – For the second consecutive year, Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Medical Center is one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® according to Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of healthcare. The award recognizes hospitals that have achieved excellence in clinical outcomes, patient safety, patient satisfaction, financial performance, and operational efficiency.

“Bergan Mercy is blessed with excellent physicians, nurses and employees who work as a team to deliver the care that results in a Top 100 recognition,” said Marie Knedler, Alegent Health vice president and chief operating officer of Bergan Mercy Medical Center.

Like all 10 of Alegent Health’s hospitals, Bergan Mercy consistently tracks performance through quality and patient satisfaction scores. Martin Mancuso, M.D., Bergan’s Medical Staff President, says quality patient care is the key. “The experiences of our patients are how we measure ourselves – successful outcomes and exceptional patient experiences is our medical staff’s commitment,” Dr. Mancuso added.

Bergan Mercy, named to the list in 2001, 2008 and now 2009, is the only hospital in Nebraska named to the 100 Top Hospitals list. The winners were identified through an in-depth analysis. Thomson Reuters evaluated 3,000 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals in nine areas: mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average length of stay, expenses, profitability, cash-to-debt ratio, patient satisfaction, and adherence to clinical standards of care.

“We are honored to have Bergan Mercy named as one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals,” says Richard A. Hachten II, president and CEO of Alegent Health. “We work hard to continually improve the quality of care that we deliver. This award reaffirms that our Mission to provide high quality care for the body, mind and spirit of every person is indeed alive and lived daily by our extraordinary caregivers.”

According to Thomson Reuters, if all of the nation’s Medicare inpatients received the same level of care they find at the top 100 hospitals, America would see the following changes each year:

• More than 107,500 additional patients would survive.
• Nearly 132,000 patient complications would be avoided.
• Expenses would decline by $5.9 billion.
• The average patient stay would decrease by nearly half a day.

“The 100 Top Hospitals winners raised the bar again this year, delivering a higher level of reliable care and greater value for their communities,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals programs at Thomson Reuters.

More information on this study and other 100 Top Hospitals research is available at www.100tophospitals.com.

About Alegent Health
Alegent Health is the largest not-for-profit, faith-based healthcare system in Nebraska and southwestern Iowa with 10 hospitals, more than 100 sites of service, over 1,300 physicians on its medical staffs and 9,000 employees. Alegent Health was ranked first in the country in quality and patient satisfaction according to the Network for Regional healthcare Improvement (NRHI). That exceptional commitment to providing patient focused care for the body, mind and spirit of every person keeps Alegent Health faithful to its Mission, which was inspired by its sponsors, Catholic Health Initiatives and Immanuel Health Systems. At Alegent Health, patients and their families find a continuum of care, from women's and children's services, primary care, wellness counseling, and senior care to cardiovascular services, orthopaedics, oncology, physical rehabilitation and behavioral health. Alegent Health is online at www.alegent.com.