IBM Watson Health crunches data and names 100 top hospitals

IBM Watson Health has identified what it contends are the nation’s best performing hospitals, based on publicly available clinical, operational and patient perception of care data.

The IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals, formerly Truven Health Analytics, is an annual study that has been conducted since 1993.

According to the 2019 results from the study by the cognitive computing and analytics vendor, the top-performing hospitals in the country achieved better risk-adjusted outcomes while maintaining both a lower average cost per patient and higher profit margin than peer group hospitals that were part of the study.

In total, the study evaluated 3,156 short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals based on the following public datasets: Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review data, as well as core measures and patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare website.

“From small community hospitals to major teaching hospitals, these diverse hospitals have demonstrated that quality care, higher patient satisfaction, and operational efficiency can be achieved together,” says Kyu Rhee, MD, vice president and chief health officer at IBM Watson Health.

“In this era of big data, analytics, transparency and patient empowerment, it is essential that we learn from these leading hospitals and work to spread their best practices to our entire health system, which could translate into over 100,000 more lives saved, nearly 40,000 less complications, over 150,000 fewer readmissions, and over $8 billion in savings,” Rhee added.

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In the study, winners outperformed peer group hospitals in 10 clinical and operational performance metrics: risk-adjusted inpatient mortality index, risk-adjusted complications index, mean healthcare-associated infection index, mean 30-day risk-adjusted mortality rate, mean 30-day risk-adjusted readmission rate, severity-adjusted length of stay, mean emergency department throughput, case mix- and wage-adjusted inpatient expense per discharge, adjusted operating profit margin, and HCAHPS score.

“At a time when research shows that the U.S. spends nearly twice as much on healthcare as other high-income countries, yet has less effective population health outcomes, the 100 Top Hospitals are setting a different example by delivering consistently better care at a lower cost,” says Ekta Punwani, program leader for IBM Watson Health’s 100 Top Hospitals.

The data was also used by the vendor to identify the country’s 15 top-performing health systems, called Everest Award winners—those hospitals that earned the 100 Top Hospitals designation and also are among the 100 top for rate of improvement during a five-year period.

The Everest Award winners include: Advocate Sherman Hospital, Elgin, Ill.; CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System, Texarkana, Texas; East Liverpool (Ohio) City Hospital; Garden City (Mich.) Hospital; IU Health Bloomington (Ind.) Hospital; Parkview Regional Medical Center, Fort Wayne, Ind.; Parkview Whitley Hospital, Columbia City, Ind.; Rose Medical Center, Denver; St. Joseph's Hospital, Tampa, Fla.; St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor, Mich.; St. Mark's Hospital, Salt Lake City; Sentara Leigh Hospital, Norfolk, Va.; Stillwater (Okla.) Medical Center; UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora; and Utah Valley Hospital, Provo.