Spectrum Health Ranked Among Top 10 in Nation for Hip and Knee Replacement.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Spectrum Health was named as the nation's eighth largest provider of hip and knee replacements in a recent issue of Orthopedic Network News.

"Spectrum Health is honored to be listed among the top 10 orthopaedic providers in the country," said Matthew

G. VanVranken, President, Spectrum Health Hospitals. "National recognition is external validation of the strength of Spectrum Health's orthopaedic program. Our physicians and staff pride themselves on providing high quality care, and the fact we perform more procedures impacts our quality outcomes."

The Leapfrog Group for Patient Safety cites hospital and physician experience and volumes as an important measure of surgical outcomes. The organization also states that more than 100 studies have demonstrated better results at high-volume hospitals for high-risk procedures.

The ranking is determined by Aspen Healthcare Metrics using 2004 Medicare MedPar dataset, which compares joint replacement programs across the country.

Orthopedic Network News is a quarterly publication and on-line information service that covers cost and quality issues in orthopaedics. Visit www.orthopedicnetworknews.com for more information.

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan that offers a full continuum of care through its seven hospitals, more than 140 service sites and 450,000-member health plan, Priority Health. Our 13,000 employees, 1,400 medical staff members and 2,000 volunteers are committed to delivering the highest quality care to those in medical need. We provided $88 million in community benefit during our 2005 fiscal year. Spectrum Health has earned numerous national awards including being ranked in Verispan's listing of top 100 Integrated Healthcare Networks. Visit spectrum-health.org for more information.