IBM (NYSE: IBM) Watson Health® today announced its 2020 Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list and 15 Top Health Systems award winners, naming the top-performing hospitals and health systems in the U.S. Extrapolating the results of this year’s studies, if all Medicare hospitalized patients received the same level of care as those treated in the award-winning facilities, more than 100,000 additional lives and billions of dollars in inpatient costs could be saved. The lists of the top hospitals and health systems were published by Fortune.
“Hospitals, health systems and the dedicated clinicians and staff who work at these organizations have emerged as true heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic and we are grateful to be able to recognize these extraordinary leaders at this time,” said Kyu Rhee, M.D., M.P.P., Vice President and Chief Health Officer, IBM Watson Health. “From small community hospitals to major teaching hospitals, the organizations on this list demonstrate a relentless commitment to high-value, patient-centered care and innovation. It is clear that the COVID-19 crisis will be a catalyst for reinvention, and we believe these top performing hospitals are positioned to emerge stronger and smarter out of this crisis.”
The goal of the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals and IBM Watson Health 15 Top Health Systems lists is to identify top performing hospitals and health systems and deliver insights that may help healthcare organizations focus their improvement initiatives on achieving consistent, balanced and sustainable high performance. The studies used to determine the lists are based on a balanced scorecard of publicly available clinical, operational, and patient satisfaction metrics and data.
Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals List
Compared to similar hospitals, the hospitals included on the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list had better results on performance indicators intended to measure clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, patient experience and financial health. These include survival rates, patient complications, healthcare-associated infections, 30-day mortality and 30-day hospital-wide readmission rates, length of stay, throughput in emergency rooms, inpatient expenses, profitability, and ratings from patients. Additionally, performance by these hospitals, when extrapolated to all Medicare inpatients, could result in:
- More than 106,000 additional lives saved;
- More than 49,000 additional patients being complication-free;
- More than $8.3 billion in inpatient costs saved; and
- Approximately 23,000 fewer discharged patients readmitted within 30 days.
To determine the hospitals included on the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list, IBM Watson Health researchers evaluated 3,134 short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals. All research was based on the following public data sets: Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) data, and core measures and patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website. Hospitals do not apply for awards, and winners do not pay to market this honor.
In addition to the hospitals included on the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list, select hospitals were also recognized as Everest Award winners. These are hospitals that earned the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list designation and had the highest rates of improvement during a five-year period.
IBM Watson Health 15 Top Health Systems List
As compared to their peer health systems, the hospitals included on the IBM Watson Health 15 Top Health Systems list had better results on performance indicators intended to measure clinical outcomes, operational efficiency and patient experience. These include lower inpatient mortality rates and fewer patient complications, considering patient severity; care that resulted in fewer hospital-acquired infections; higher influenza immunization rates; lower 30-day readmission rates; shorter lengths of stay; faster emergency care; higher scores on patient ratings of their overall hospital experience: and lower episode-of-care expenses for the in-hospital through aftercare process. Additionally, performance by these health systems, when extrapolated to all Medicare inpatients, could result in:
- Approximately 43,000 additional lives saved;
- More than 29,000 additional patients being complication-free;
- Healthcare-associated infections being reduced by 12 percent; and
- Patients spending 38 fewer minutes in hospital emergency rooms, per visit.
To determine the hospitals included on the IBM Watson Health 15 Top Health Systems list, IBM Watson Health researchers evaluated 332 health systems and 2,492 hospitals that are members of health systems. All research was based on the following public data sets: Medicare cost reports, MEDPAR data, and core measures and patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website.
For more information, visit http://www.100tophospitals.com/.
