LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Ten hospitals affiliated with the not-for-profit Sutter Health network earned the July 2010 “Certificate of Excellence” from the California Hospital Assessment and Reporting Task Force (CHART).

The honor recognizes exceptional performance in health care quality in 50 categories. Only 40 hospitals across California received the award – and Sutter Health facilities comprise 25 percent of those honored.

Recognized Sutter Health hospitals include:

• Eden Medical Center (Castro Valley);

• Memorial Medical Center (Modesto);

• Mills-Peninsula Health Services (Burlingame);

• Novato Community Hospital (Novato);

• Sutter Amador Hospital (Amador);

• Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital (Auburn);

• Sutter Davis Hospital (Davis);

• Sutter Lakeside Hospital (Lakeport);

• Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa (Santa Rosa);

• Sutter Roseville Medical Center (Roseville).

Twice a year, CHART, a third-party consumer-reporting agency, presents the certificates of excellence to hospitals that achieve “above average” or “superior scores” in five of the eight CHART measurement areas; receive no “below average” or “poor” score on any measure; and report data for all measurements for which they qualify.

These measures include patient satisfaction and experience among common reasons for admissions such as cardiac care, maternity services and treatment for pneumonia.

Participating hospitals voluntarily submit data, and more than 200 California hospitals take part. The not-for-profit Sutter Health network has participated in the CHART process since its inception in 2004.

For complete performance information on the hospitals participating in CHART, see www.CalHospitalCompare.org.

Published by the California HealthCare Foundation, the online report card helps consumers easily search for quality information about hospitals by location, name or medical condition.