Healthcare Matters

Source: Thomson Reuters Report –Thomson Reuters 15 Top Health Systems is the only study that aggregates individual hospital performance into system-level data. Building on the 100 Top Hospitals® National Balanced Scorecard concept, this research allows health system leaders to understand how they measure up in terms of clinical quality and efficiency. By objectively measuring health system quality and revealing a group of top performers, the study provides health system leaders with useful data for performance benchmarking.

This year’s study contained more than 300 organizations — almost every U.S. system with two or more acute-care member hospitals, including critical access hospitals. Like all 100 Top Hospitals studies, the research uses publicly available data and objective statistical analysis developed and carried out by a well-rounded team of researchers that includes epidemiologists, statisticians, physicians, and former hospital executives.

To survive in an industry challenged by a slow-to- improve national economy, increased competition, and a new set of rules imposed by healthcare reform, providers must deliver ever-higher quality and become more efficient — doing more with potentially lower reimbursements.

To show health system leaders what the highest performers have achieved, we selected the 15 highest-performing health systems in the study population, based on a composite score of eight measures of quality and efficiency.

This year’s Thomson Reuters 15 Top Health Systems, placed into size categories by total operating expense, are:

Large Health Systems (>$1.5 billion)

• Banner Health
• CareGroup Healthcare System
• Jefferson Health System
• Memorial Hermann Healthcare System
• St. Vincent Health

Medium Health Systems ($750 million – $1.5 billion)

• Baystate Health
• Geisinger Health System
• HCA Central and West Texas Division
• Mission Health System
• Prime Healthcare Services

Small Health Systems (<$750 million)

• Baptist Health
• Maury Regional Healthcare System
• Poudre Valley Health System
• Saint Joseph Regional Health System
• Tanner Health System

Congratulations to this year’s winners!

—Tom Finn