Hospital for Special Surgery is Only New York Hospital with Significantly Lower Surgical...

Hospital for Special Surgery is Only New York Hospital with Significantly
Lower Surgical Site Infection Rate for Hip Replacement Compared to State
Average

NEW YORK, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report on infection rates from the New
York State Department of Health singles out Hospital for Special Surgery as
the only hospital in New York State with a statistically lower rate of
surgical site infection (SSI) compared to the state average for hip
replacement/revision surgery.

"We emphasize infection control as a best practice," said Thomas P. Sculco,
M.D., surgeon-in-chief of Hospital for Special Surgery, "and strive to
maintain it at every level of patient care -- from washing hands to a clean
and safe environment for our patients in the operating room and the entire
hospital."

The report comparisons also found that hospitals performing fewer than 50 hip
replacements/revisions per year had a significantly higher risk for SSI than
others. Out of the 171 hospitals in New York State, which collectively
performed 23,611 hip replacements/revisions last year, Special Surgery
performed almost 3,700, the state's highest surgical volume coupled with a
significantly lower SSI rate when compared to the state average.

"At Hospital for Special Surgery, we believe that infection control is
everyone's responsibility," said Louis A. Shapiro, President and CEO. "Efforts
to prevent infection are woven into the fabric of this organization and it
takes everyone's contributions, from surgeons and nurses to housekeepers and
technicians, to achieve success."

New York State has one of the strictest regulatory and surveillance systems
for hospitals in the country. The law mandates that New York's 186 hospitals
document and report certain hospital acquired infections to the New York State
Department of Health. The report issued today says key goals are to provide
the public with fair, accurate and reliable infection data as well as to
support the improvement of infection control activities in hospitals. Today is
the second year for the report, but the first to include SSI of hip
replacement/revision surgery data.

About Hospital for Special Surgery
Founded in 1863, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is a world leader in
orthopedics, rheumatology and rehabilitation. HSS is nationally ranked No. 1
in orthopedics and No. 4 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2008),
and has received Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the
American Nurses Credentialing Center. In 2008 and 2007, HSS was a recipient of
the HealthGrades Joint Replacement Excellence Award. A member of the
NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and an affiliate of Weill Cornell
Medical College, HSS provides orthopedic and rheumatologic patient care at
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center. All
Hospital for Special Surgery medical staff are on the faculty of Weill Cornell
Medical College. The hospital's research division is internationally
recognized as a leader in the investigation of musculoskeletal and autoimmune
diseases.
Phyllis Fisher
fisherp@hss.edu
212-606-1197

Tracy Hickenbottom
hickenbottomt@hss.edu
212-606-1197

SOURCE Hospital for Special Surgery

Phyllis Fisher, fisherp@hss.edu, or Tracy Hickenbottom, hickenbottomt@hss.edu,
both for Hospital for Special Surgery, +1-212-606-1197