Health system rates among top 15 in US

Health system rates among top 15 in US

Dr. Eric Bouwens talks with a visitor at Spectrum Health’s Community Medicine Clinic in downtown Grand Rapids. Courtesy Spectrum Health

A health care system serving the region has been rated among a select national group — for the third time.

Spectrum

The sixth-annual “15 Top Health Systems” study by Truven Health Analytics released today identifies Spectrum Health as the lone health system in Michigan to earn the designation.

The annual study conducted by the Ann Arbor-based health care consulting company is based on its study of the “100 Top Hospitals” and national scorecard program.

Richard Breon, president and chief executive officer of Spectrum Health, said the health system is honored to be recognized as one of the 15 best health systems in the country.

“As a locally owned, Grand Rapids-based health system, we consider this recognition significant,” Breon said. “This distinction reflects the high-quality care and excellent patient experiences that our physicians and employees provide individuals and families every day.”

The nonprofit Spectrum Health employs more than 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers and encompasses 11 hospitals and 170 ambulatory and services sites.

Methodology

The top-15 study classifies health systems into groups based on total operating expenses to create benchmarks for comparable organizations.

Spectrum Health is considered a large health system, due to total operating expenses of more than $1.5 billion.

The “15 Top Health Systems” study represents more than 300 health systems and 2,600 health system hospitals and evaluates independent, public data to calculate a composite score based on eight measures of quality and efficiency: mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average length of stay, 30-day mortality rate, 30-day re-admission rate, adherence to clinical standards of care and HCAHPS score.

The HCAHPS score refers to the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, a patient survey rating overall hospital performance.

Truven Health Analytics said the top health systems had better survival rates, fewer patient complications, better long-term outcomes, follow accepted care protocols and patient-safety standards more closely and have shorter patient length of stay.

Midwest

Several health care systems in the Midwest also appear in the “15 Top Health Systems” study: Mayo Foundation in Rochester, Minn.; Advocate Health Care in Downers Grove, Ill.; Mercy Health Southwest Ohio Region in Cincinnati; and Saint Joseph Regional Health System in Mishawaka, Ind.