Mercy Iowa City was named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals, the only one in Iowa, in a report released this week by IBM Watson Health.
IBM Watson Health today released the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals 2018 study. The annual study, conducted by Truven Health Analytics, now part of IBM Watson Health, identifies the top U.S. hospitals for inpatient cardiovascular services. The study uses a balanced national scorecard of hospital performance metrics to identify the highest performing cardiovascular service lines in the nation.
This study is part of the Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals program. All these studies use rigorous processes to calculate and measure hospital service lines, leveraging industry-leading, risk-adjusted methodologies developed and maintained by IBM Watson Health scientists over many years. The 100 Top Hospitals study is widely regarded as the leading program for evaluating leadership impact in a hospital, as well as for evaluating quality indicators and efficiencies. The Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study measures attainment in key performance areas: risk-adjusted inpatient mortality, risk-adjusted complications, percentage of coronary bypass patients with internal mammary artery use, 30-day mortality rates, 30-day readmission rates, severity-adjusted average length of stay, wage- and severity-adjusted average cost per case and, new this year, CMS 30-day episode payment measures. The study has been conducted annually since 1999. This is the first time Mercy Iowa City has been recognized with this honor.
“Mercy Iowa City is a top performer for both health care quality and patient satisfaction,” said John Mehegan, MD, Medical Director Cardiovascular Services. “We are honored that our cardiovascular physicians, nurses and staff have been recognized for our commitment to quality. This distinction reflects the culture of excellence at Mercy Iowa City. We believe that our outstanding team of caregivers, our robust quality assurance program and our environment in which patients and families can recover and heal in the comfort of a private room all contribute to achieving exceptional outcomes.”
Mercy Iowa City is an acute care hospital and regional referral center in southeast Iowa. In 2017: Mercy Iowa City was awarded the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) 5 Star Rating, in the top 2% of hospitals nationwide and the only hospital in Iowa; is Johnson County’s only accredited Chest Pain Center and Stroke Center and has received an American Hospital Association Gold Plus Achievement Award for Stroke Care; received the American College of Cardiology Platinum Performance Achievement Award for the sixth consecutive year; received the Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award for Mercy’s Emergency Care Unit, achieving a 95th percentile for patient experience for the tenth year consecutive year; received an “A” grade for patient safety from Leapfrog; Mercy’s Wound and Vein Center received the Center of Distinction Award from Healogics; and is the only hospital in the state of Iowa to receive the 2018 Joint Replacement Excellence Award™ from Healthgrades, and the only hospital to receive this distinction for 10 consecutive years (2009-2018). Mercy has 234 acute care beds, 25 private rooms for outpatient surgery, 26 bed nursery with a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, 27 primary and specialty care clinics, a medical staff of 250 physicians representing all major medical specialties and most sub-specialties and 1,420 employees. It was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1873 and became an affiliate of Mercy Health Network in 2017.
To determine the 50 top U.S. hospitals for heart care, IBM Watson Health researchers analyzed 2015 and 2016 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) data, 2016 Medicare cost reports and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare July 1, 2013-June 30, 2016 data.
The winning hospitals were announced in the Nov. 6, 2017, edition of Modern Healthcare magazine.
The study, and subsequent analysis of the positive variances these leading cardiovascular service hospitals show, indicate an opportunity for a broader national impact for cardiovascular patients, should these results be replicated. In fact, if all cardiovascular providers in the U.S. performed at the level of this year's winners:
- Nearly 8,900 additional lives could be saved
- Nearly 3,700 more bypass and angioplasty patients could be complication-free
- More than $1.4 billion could be saved
More information on this study and other 100 Top Hospitals research is available at 100tophospitals.com.
About the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals Report and the 100 Top Hospitals Program
The Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study is available at 100tophospitals.com. It is published once a year in November. Hospitals may also request customized benchmark reports and comparative analysis on the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by contacting (616) 248-4645 or visiting 100tophospitals.com.
Since 1993, the Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals program has used independent and objective research to guide hospital and health system performance. Organizations do not apply or pay for this honor, or pay to promote their award. Award-winning hospitals and health systems prove that better care is possible and provide an example for other organizations to follow across the industry. The 100 Top Hospitals award winners demonstrate top performance on both how patients are cared for under clinical measures and how the hospital performs as an efficient business. Visit 100tophospitals.com for more information.
CONTACTS
Ariana Nikitas IBM Watson Health anikitas@us.ibm.com 312.533.3437
Brian Erni For IBM Watson Health J. Roderick Public Relations brian@jroderick.com 631.584.2200