FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, January 20, 2009

CONTACT:
Cindy Hickey, 330-489-1212
cindy.hickey@cantonmercy.org

Mercy Homecare Again Named to HomeCare Elite

Canton, Ohio: For the second year in row, Mercy Medical Center Homecare has been named among the best-performing home health care agencies in the U.S., placing it in the nation's top 25 percent.

The 2008 HomeCare Elite list, compiled by OCS Inc., a leading post-acute healthcare information company, ranks the most successful Medicare-certified home health care providers in the United States by performance measures in quality outcomes, quality improvement and financial performance. Compiled from publicly available information, the 2008 HomeCare Elite is the only performance recognition of its kind in the home health industry.

Anne Poleon, Director of Mercy Hospice and Homecare, credits the homecare staff for their critical role in achieving this recognition.

She said, "Our qualified, experienced nurses, therapists, social workers, homecare aides and pastoral care staff work together as team to help our patients achieve maximum independence in the home setting. This designation recognizes the level of care they strive to provide every day for every patient."

Mercy Homecare offers skilled nursing for a variety of patient needs, including medical/surgical, maternal/child, pediatric, infusion therapy and wound care. Mercy Homecare was also the first in Stark County to offer telemonitoring for the management of complex medical conditions.

Rehabilitative therapy, homecare aides, nutrition counseling, social services and pastoral care are also available through Mercy Homecare. All services must be ordered by a physician and are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most insurance.

"The 2008 HomeCare Elite winners exemplify a commitment to providing their patients with optimum care while performing at the highest level," said Nancy Buller, senior director of marketing communications at OCS. "We congratulate Mercy Homecare on being one of the top home care agencies in the country."

For more information about Mercy Homecare, call 330-492-8803.

The 2008 HomeCare Elite is brought to the industry by OCS Inc., the leading provider of healthcare informatics, and DecisionHealth, publisher of Home Health Line, home care's most respected independent newsletter. The entire list of the 2008 HomeCare Elite agencies can be viewed by visiting the OCS web site at www.ocsys.com/HCE .

About Mercy Medical Center
Mercy Medical Center, a nonprofit corporation of the Sisters of Charity Health System and University Hospitals Health System, operates a 476-bed hospital serving Stark, Carroll, Wayne, Holmes and Tuscarawas Counties and parts of Southeastern Ohio. It has 550 physicians on its Medical Staff and employs 2,500 people. Mercy operates outpatient health centers in Carrollton, Jackson Township, Lake Township, Louisville, North Canton and Plain Township. A Catholic hospital, Mercy Medical Center upholds the mission and philosophy of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and continues to be responsive to the needs of the community, including the provision of care to all, regardless of their ability to pay. For more information, see www.cantonmercy.com .

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