Christiana Care earns NRC's 2010/2011 Consumer Choice Award as top hospital in Delaware region

15th consecutive year recognized for overall image and quality of care

Christiana Care earned the 2010/2011 Consumer Choice Award as the top hospital in the Delaware region by the National Research Corporation (NRC), a health care performance measurement company.

The award identifies hospitals consumers choose as having the highest quality and image in more than 300 markets throughout the United States. This is the fifteenth year NRC has issued the awards and Christiana Care has won it each time.

Consumer perceptions on multiple quality and image ratings in NRC's Ticker™ study determine winners. Of the 3,200 hospitals named in the study, only the 256 highest ranking received awards. The study surveyed more than 250,000 households representing 450,000 consumers in the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia.

"Health care has become an increasingly important issue across the country and empowered consumers are making decisions for themselves and their families when selecting health care facilities and services," says Ginny Martin, NRC's Ticker division president. "As care options multiply and financial challenges remain strong, consumer perception of quality continues to grow in importance. These Consumer Choice award winners exemplify the dedication it takes to provide quality health care to their communities."

According to NRC, its 2010/2011 study is the nation's largest and most comprehensive investigation of its kind. The company claims its study uses more consumer responses to measure hospital performance and preferences than any other study.