Blanchard Valley Hospital (BVH) has been named the #1 hospital in Ohio for overall orthopedic services and has received a five-star rating in cardiology services from the independent national ratings agency HealthGrades. BVH is also the recipient of the HealthGrades Orthopedic Surgery Excellence AwardTM for the second year in a row and the 2012 Coronary Intervention Excellence AwardTM.

"These are remarkable accomplishments, and we salute, and thank, the physicians, associates, volunteers, office staffs, and others who have helped us earn these distinctions," said Christopher E. Press, president of Blanchard Valley Hospital.

In addition, Blanchard Valley Hospital's orthopedic program received the highest five-star ratings from HealthGrades for joint replacement, total knee replacement, hip fracture repair, spinal fusion and overall orthopedic services. This is also the second year in a row BVH has been five-star rated for coronary interventional procedures.

"These HealthGrades awards are a reflection of the outstanding quality care provided by the associates and physicians at Blanchard Valley Hospital," said Dr. Mark Fox, medical staff president at Blanchard Valley Hospital. "Our communities can be confident that they have a skilled, caring team at BVH."

Choosing a hospital can be a life or death decision. HealthGrades report found that patients treated at five-star rated hospitals experience a 73 percent lower risk of mortality and a 63 percent lower risk of complications compared to one-star rated hospitals. Key findings of the HealthGrades 2011 Healthcare Consumerism and Hospital Quality in America report include:

. If all Medicare patients from 2008 through 2010 had been treated at 5-star hospitals, 240,040 lives could have potentially been saved.

. If all Medicare patients from 2008 through 2010 had gone to 5-star hospitals for their procedure, 164,472 in-hospital complications could have potentially been avoided.

HealthGrades online properties are the nation's leading destination for physician search and empower more than 170 million consumers annually to make informed healthcare decisions. For more information on the HealthGrades study, including the complete methodology, visit www.healthgrades.com.