Triad Consumers Select Baptist Hospital as Their Favorite

November 6, 2000

For the second consecutive year, North Carolina Baptist Hospital has been selected by consumers in Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point as their hospital of choice.

Based on surveys of people in the Triad, Baptist Hospital was named a Consumer Choice Award winner by the National Research Corporation (NRC), an independent health care performance measurement organization. Awards were based on scores for best doctors, best nurses, best image and best reputation. Individual winners are based on consumer response in individual metropolitan statistical areas (MSA), as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The survey information is included in the NRC Healthcare Market Guide, a nationally syndicated study conducted annually to compile consumer assessments of their health plans, personal physicians, local hospitals and health systems as well as their current health status. The study entails a self-administered questionnaire that respondents received by mail.

This year, the outgoing mail sample included 250,000 U.S. households within the 48 contiguous states. Responses were received from more than 160,000 households, the primary health care decision-maker of each household being the actual respondent. More than 400,000 covered lives are represented in the study. At the 95 percent confidence level, the study''s resulting error range is plus or minus 0.2 percent.

The largest study of its kind, the 2000 NRC Healthcare Market Guide details performance specifics on 400 health maintenance organizations, 200 preferred provider organizations, 150 fee-for-service plans and more than 2,500 hospitals by name. The study tracks the performance of these health care organizations by MSA, state, national or custom-defined areas.

The NRC was founded in 1981 to provide the most up-to-date market information to health care organizations. Since then, it has conducted more such performance studies than any other firm.

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Contact: Jim Steele or Mark Wright, (336) 716-4587

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