Scottsdale Healthcare Among Top 50 U.S. Health Systems

Clinical performance top criteria in Thomson Reuters study of best-performing health systems

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., June 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Scottsdale Healthcare, the only locally-based nonprofit health system serving greater Scottsdale and northeast Phoenix, is ranked in the top quintile of U.S. health systems based on the Thomson Reuters study published in the June 21 issue of Modern Healthcare magazine.

Scottsdale Healthcare is parent organization of Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Medical Center, Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Center, Scottsdale Healthcare Thompson Peak Hospital and the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare. It is the largest employer in the city of Scottsdale.

Researchers from the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: Health System Benchmarks Study analyzed the quality and efficiency of 255 health systems and found statistically significant differences between top and bottom performers in several key areas. All U.S. health systems with two or more short-term, general, non-federal hospitals were assessed.

Compared with the poorest performers, the best-performing quintile health systems had:

• 16% lower mortality rate
• 18% fewer medical complications
• 16% fewer patient safety incidents, even though their patients were sicker, and
• Average hospital stays were significantly shorter than peer organizations.

Researchers looked at eight metrics that gauge clinical quality and efficiency: mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average length of stay, 30-day mortality rate, 30-day readmission rate, adherence to clinical standards of care (evidence-based core measures published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), and HCAHPS patient survey score (part of a national initiative sponsored by the United States Department of Health and Human Services to measure the quality of care in hospitals).

"This recognition is a benefit for our community and a tribute to the teamwork at all levels of our health system, from the leading local citizens on our board or directors to our management, doctors, nurses, volunteers and other staff members in each of our hospitals," said Scottsdale Healthcare President & CEO Tom Sadvary.

The study relied on public data from the 2007 and 2008 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data and the CMS Hospital Compare data sets.

Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Center also recently was named the only hospital in greater Phoenix to earn the 2009 Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: National Benchmarks Award, which recognizes facilities that deliver high-quality, efficient care.

"The development of national benchmarks provides health system boards and executives with an objective assessment of the care they provided to their communities and patients, relative to others across the nation," said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals programs at Thomson Reuters, a leading national quality and performance improvement analytic firm.

Researchers from the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals program have analyzed and reported on the performance of individual hospitals since 1993.

Scottsdale Healthcare is the not-for-profit parent organization of Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Medical Center, Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Center, Scottsdale Healthcare Thompson Peak Hospital, Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center, Scottsdale Healthcare Research Institute, Scottsdale Healthcare Community Health Services, NOAH Clinics, Scottsdale Healthcare Home Health Services and Scottsdale Healthcare Foundation. For more information, visit www.shc.org.

SOURCE Scottsdale Healthcare