MANTECA, Calif. – June 21, 2005 – Doctors Hospital of Manteca announced today that it has joined the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) “100,000 Lives Campaign” as part of the hospital’s overall Commitment to Quality initiative.  The goal of this unprecedented campaign is to save 100,000 patients’ lives through the implementation of health care processes proven to prevent avoidable deaths and save lives.  

 Doctors Hospital of Manteca is one of more than 2,200 hospitals that has committed to trying to reach the program goal to save 100,000 lives by June 2006 and every year thereafter.

 “This campaign goes hand-in-hand with our commitment to providing safe, quality care to every patient that comes through our doors,” said Katherine A. Medeiros, CEO.  “We are proud to join with other leading health care organizations to improve health care and, more importantly, save lives.”

Doctors Hospital of Manteca, and all of the hospitals participating in the 100,000 Lives Campaign, pledges to implement some or all of the following six quality improvement measures:

1. Deploying rapid response teams – Allow any staff member, regardless of position in the chain of command, call upon a specialty team to examine a patient at the first sign of decline.
2. Delivering reliable evidence-based care for acute myocardial infarction – Consistently deliver key measures, including early administration of aspirin and beta-blockers, ACE/ARB, lipid lowering and smoking cessation counseling that prevent patient deaths from heart attack. 
3. Preventing adverse drug events – Implement medication reconciliation, which requires compiling a list of all of the patient’s medications and reconcile them to ensure that the patient is given or prescribed the right medications at the correct dosages.  This is to occur at admission, discharge and before transferring a patient to another care unit.
4. Preventing central line infections – Consistently deliver five interdependent, scientifically grounded steps collectively called the “Central Line Bundle.”
5. Preventing surgical site infections – Reliable delivery of the correct perioperative antibiotics, maintain proper glucose levels and avoid shaving hair at the surgical site.
6. Preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia – Implement five interdependent, scientifically grounded steps collectively called the “Ventilator Bundle.”  This includes elevating the head of the hospital bed by 30 degrees, which dramatically reduces mortality and length of stay in the Intensive Care Unit.

All hospitals participating in the 100,000 Lives Campaign will share best practices and success stories with each other and submit data to the IHI to help monitor the campaign’s progress.

The 100,000 Lives Campaign was formally launched on December 14, 2004, and has been endorsed by the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. 

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement is a not-for-profit organization leading the improvement of health care throughout the world.  Founded in 1991 and based in Cambridge, Mass., IHI is a catalyst for change, cultivating innovative concepts for improving patient care and implementing programs for putting those ideas into action.  Thousands of health care providers, including many of the finest hospitals in the world, participate in IHI’s groundbreaking work.  To learn more about the 100,000 Lives Campaign, go to www.ihi.org/ihi/programs/campaign

Doctors Hospital of Manteca (located at 1205 East North Street, Manteca, CA) is part of Tenet California, one of the state’s largest hospital system.  Doctors Hospital of Manteca opened its doors in 1962 as a 28-bed, 41 employee, nine physician rural community hospital in the heart of California’s Central Valley.  Over the years, the hospital expanded services to keep pace with the needs of a rapidly growing community.  A multi-million dollar addition and upgrade construction project increased the hospital’s capacity to 73 beds.  One of the largest businesses in the community, Doctors Hospital now has more than 375 employees and a medical staff of 160 physicians.  While maintaining small-town comfort, Doctors Hospital of Manteca offers many advanced services.  Private patient rooms, expanded and enhanced imaging services, emergency, pharmacy, physical therapy, ICU/CCU and obstetrical services are designed for the care and comfort of our patients.

Doctors Hospital of Manteca is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.  To learn more about Doctors Hospital of Manteca, visit our website, www.doctorsmanteca.com.

Certain statements in this release may constitute forward-looking statements.  They are based on management’s current expectations and could be affected by numerous factors and are subject to various risks and uncertainties.  Certain of those risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s transition report on Form 10-K for the 7-month period ended Dec. 31, 2002 and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.  Do not rely on any forward-looking statement, as we cannot predict or control many of the factors that ultimately may affect our ability to achieve the results estimated.  We make no promise to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of changes in underlying factors, new information, future events or otherwise.