Avera McKennan Named in Top 100 in America

SIOUX FALLS (March 30, 2009) - For the third year in a row, Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center is among the nation's top hospitals. The Healthcare business of Thomson Reuters today released its annual study identifying the 100 top U.S. hospitals based on their overall organizational performance.

The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals®: National Benchmarks study is based on the 100 Top Hospitals National Balanced Scorecard that evaluates performance in nine areas: mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average length of stay, expenses, profitability, cash-to-debt ratio, patient satisfaction, and adherence to clinical standards of care. The study has been conducted annually since 1993.

"We're proud to be the only hospital in South Dakota to achieve this level for 2008," said Fred Slunecka, Regional President of Avera McKennan. "We are committed to providing the best health care possible and achieving the Thomson Reuters Top 100 list proves we're meeting our goals."

To conduct the 100 Top Hospitals study, Thomson Reuters researchers evaluated 3,000 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals. They used public information - Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, and core measures and patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare data set.

If all Medicare inpatients received the same level of care as patients treated in the winning hospitals:

• More than 107,500 additional patients would survive each year.
• Nearly 132,000 patient complications would be avoided annually.
• Expenses would decline by $5.9 billion a year.
• The average patient stay would decrease by nearly half a day.
• Here are the winning hospitals, by category:

Major Teaching Hospitals 
St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center - Phoenix, AZ
University Medical Center -Tucson, AZ
Northwestern Memorial Hospital - Chicago, IL
NorthShore University HealthSystem - Evanston, IL
Advocate Lutheran General Hospital - Park Ridge, IL
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Boston, MA
University of Michigan Hospitals & Health Centers - Ann Arbor, MI
Providence Hospital and Medical Center - Southfield, MI
Mayo Clinic - Saint Marys Hospital - Rochester, MN
Duke University Hospital - Durham, NC
University Hospitals Case Medical Center - Cleveland, OH
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital - Pittsburgh, PA
Vanderbilt University Medical Center - Nashville, TN
Scott and White Memorial Hospital - Temple, TX
University of Virginia Medical Center - Charlottesville, VA

Teaching Hospitals
Rose Medical Center - Denver, CO
Cleveland Clinic Florida - Weston, FL
Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa - Mason City, IA
St. Luke's Boise Medical Center - Boise, ID
St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital - Indianapolis, IN
Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center-South Bend - South Bend, IN
St. Elizabeth Medical Center - Edgewood, KY
Union Memorial Hospital - Baltimore, MD
MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland - Midland, MI
Munson Medical Center - Traverse City, MI
Metro Health Hospital - Wyoming, MI
St. Cloud Hospital - St. Cloud, MN
North Mississippi Medical Center - Tupelo, MS
Good Samaritan Hospital - Cincinnati, OH
Riverside Methodist Hospital - Columbus, OH
Hillcrest Hospital - Mayfield Heights, OH
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center - Portland, OR
Bryn Mawr Hospital - Bryn Mawr, PA
Hamot Medical Center - Erie, PA
Lancaster General Hospital - Lancaster, PA
Robert Packer Hospital - Sayre, PA
Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center - Sioux Falls, SD
Gundersen Lutheran Health System - La Crosse, WI
Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-St. Joseph - Milwaukee, WI
Waukesha Memorial Hospital - Waukesha, WI

Large Community Hospitals 
San Antonio Community Hospital - Upland, CA
Memorial Hospital West - Pembroke Pines, FL
Mercy Medical Center-Dubuque - Dubuque, IA
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital - Downers Grove, IL
Silver Cross Hospital - Joliet, IL
Central DuPage Hospital - Winfield, IL
King's Daughters Medical Center - Ashland, KY
Baptist Hospital East - Louisville, KY
St. Mary Mercy Livonia Hospital - Livonia, MI
St. John's Regional Medical Center - Joplin, MO
Missouri Baptist Medical Center - St. Louis, MO
Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center - Lincoln, NE
Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Medical Center - Omaha, NE
Southwest General Health Center - Middleburg Heights, OH
Memorial Health Care System - Chattanooga, TN
Saint Thomas Hospital - Nashville, TN
Centennial Medical Center - Nashville, TN
Doctors Hospital at Renaissance - Edinburg, TX
Citizens Medical Center - Victoria, TX
Providence Regional Medical Center Everett - Everett, WA

Medium Community Hospitals
West Anaheim Medical Center - Anaheim, CA
Middlesex Hospital - Middletown, CT
Riverside Medical Center - Kankakee, IL
Columbus Regional Hospital - Columbus, IN
St. Francis Hospital-Indianapolis - Indianapolis, IN
Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center - Jasper, IN
Marion General Hospital - Marion, IN
Saint Joseph East - Lexington, KY
Gratiot Medical Center - Alma, MI
Holland Hospital -Holland, MI
Rutherford Hospital, Inc. - Rutherfordton, NC
Mercy Hospital Clermont - Batavia, OH
Union Hospital - Dover, OH
Sycamore Medical Center - Miamisburg, OH
Licking Memorial Hospital - Newark, OH
Wooster Community Hospital - Wooster, OH
Memorial Regional Medical Center - Mechanicsville, VA
The Monroe Clinic - Monroe, WI
Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center - Sheboygan, WI
Aurora West Allis Medical Center - West Allis, WI

Small Community Hospitals
Chambers Memorial Hospital - Danville, AR
St. Elizabeth Community Hospital - Red Bluff, CA
Desert Valley Hospital - Victorville, CA
Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast - Miramar Beach, FL
Meadows Regional Medical Center - Vidalia, GA
The King's Daughters' Hospital & Health Services - Madison, IN
Major Hospital - Shelbyville, IN
Saint Joseph-London - London, KY
Mercy Hospital Cadillac - Cadillac, MI
Central Michigan Community Hospital - Mount Pleasant, MI
Saint Joseph Mercy Saline Hospital - Saline, MI
Douglas County Hospital - Alexandria, MN
Lakeview Hospital - Stillwater, MN
Parkland Health Center-Farmington - Farmington, MO
Jamestown Hospital - Jamestown, ND
Duncan Regional Hospital - Duncan, OK
St. Mary's Jefferson Memorial Hospital - Jefferson City, TN
St. Mary's Medical Center of Campbell County - LaFollette, TN
Lake Whitney Medical Center - Whitney, TX
Castleview Hospital - Price, UT

About Avera McKennan
Avera McKennan is an integrated delivery network that includes Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center in Sioux Falls, S.D., as well as 115 locations in 54 communities in four states. Our ministry, our people and our superior value distinguish Avera. We carry on the health care legacy of the Benedictine and Presentation Sisters, delivering care in an environment guided by our values of compassion, hospitality and stewardship. Avera McKennan colleagues work for the largest health system in the region. The Avera network has some 13,100 employees and physicians, serving 235 locations and 87 communities in a five-state region. Inpatient and clinic visits totaled 2.1 million in the last fiscal year, a number equal to more than twice the population of the Avera service area.

About Thomson Reuters
The Healthcare business of Thomson Reuters produces insights, information, benchmarks and analysis that enable organizations to manage costs, improve performance and enhance the quality of healthcare. Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, scientific, healthcare and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 50,000 people in 93 countries. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: TRI); Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: TRI); London Stock Exchange (LSE: TRIL); and Nasdaq (NASDAQ: TRIN). For more information, go to www.thomsonreuters.com.