St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare have been recognized as two of the nation’s top hospitals in National Research Corporation’s 2008/09 Consumer Choice Awards for the fifth consecutive year.

Winners were announced in Modern Healthcare magazine. The award identifies hospitals in 250 markets throughout the U.S. This is the thirteenth year NRC has conducted the research.

In a joint statement, Sister M. Johanna, President/CEO of St. Elizabeth Medical Center, and Keith Fenstemacher, President/CEO of Faxton-St. Luke's Healthcare, thanked patients and families "for their confidence" and noted that quality, compassionate healthcare, with many of the most advanced procedures in the world, are available in Utica and the Central New York region.

"We are grateful for this recognition. It is our exceptional employees and medical staff who help us meet the needs of our patients, their families and the community. We are pleased that our hospitals have the resources and commitment to provide a full range of healthcare services for the patients that we serve,” they said.

Many of the quality initiatives have been possible through a number of collaborations that have helped raise the level of care for the region's communities. Those collaborations include the Mohawk Valley Heart Institute, the Regional Cancer Center, and the Community Diabetes Education Program.

Winners were determined through multiple doctor and nursing, quality and image ratings by consumers in an annual healthcare market survey. Of the 3,200 hospitals named by consumers in the study, the winning facilities rank highest in their Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau. National Research Corporation (NRC) surveyed over 200,000 households representing 400,000 consumers in the contiguous 48 states and District of Columbia.

“Consumers continue to be empowered to make decisions for themselves and their families when selecting their healthcare facilities and services, according to NRC. As care options multiply and consumer perception of quality grows in importance, dedication to providing a high level of quality healthcare becomes essential for hospitals. These Consumer Choice award winners exemplify the dedication it takes to provide quality healthcare to their communities, and we are pleased to honor them through the eyes of their patients,” said Ginny Martin, President of NRC’s Healthcare Market Guide Division.