FirstHealth of the Carolinas is the only hospital in the Sandhills region to be recognized as a Five-Star Community Value provider by Cleverley + Associates.

The recognition places Moore Regional in the top 20 percent of all hospitals in North Carolina for providing exceptional value to the community, a news release said.

Community Value Index (CVI) hospital analysis, which yielded the award, is a study designed to identify hospitals that bring value to their community by being financially viable, appropriately reinvesting back into the facility, maintaining a low-cost structure and providing high-quality patient care.

"This recognition is another independent validation that FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital's quality and value to the community are unmatched when compared to our peers," said Charles T. Frock, CEO of FirstHealth of the Carolinas. "The physicians, nurses and ancillary health care professionals provide exceptional quality care to our patients and do so efficiently, resulting in lower cost to the consumer. We have always strived to give the communities we serve the highest quality of care, while being mindful that high-quality care should also be cos-t-efficient."

Cleverley + Associates, a leading health care financial consulting firm specializing in operational benchmarking and performance enhancement strategies, released the findings as part of its new publication State of the Hospital Industry - 2011 Edition.

"As the new regulations from the health care reform law are implemented, the value of health care provided will be measured," said Cindy McDonald, vice president of quality for FirstHealth of the Carolinas. "Patients and health care consumers will hold us accountable not only for the quality of care we provide, but also for the cost of care.

"Being recognized as a Five-Star Community Value hospital tells me we are on the right path to being one of the best-performing hospitals by delivering high-quality care at an affordable price."

The Community Value Index analysis answers the following questions about hospitals:

n Does the hospital provide high-quality patient care? Does it operate with a high degree of community value?

n How financially healthy is the hospital? Does it reinvest for future needs? Is it run efficiently? How much debt does it have?

n How does the hospital maintain its costs in taking care of its patients? Does it keep costs low?

n How does the hospital charge for its services? Is its pricing reasonable and competitive with other facilities?

Five-Star facilities like FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital have better-than-average results from these questions, suggesting they provide additional value to their community through low costs, low charges, efficient use of financial resources and high-quality care.

"Moore Regional has always been comparable to larger urban facilities for delivering high-quality care," said Carolyn Helms, chairwoman of the Moore Regional Hospital board. "Being in the company of Carolinas Medical Center, Moses Cone Hospital, Novant's Presbyterian Hospital and Mission Hospital in Asheville confirms there is no need to travel far for affordable high-quality health care."

For a complete list of hospitals that received the Five-Star Community Hospital award, visit www.cleverleyassociates.com.