ANN ARBOR, MI – The top healthcare systems in the United States have lower 30-day mortality rates finds Thomson Reuters’ fourth annual study naming the top 15 health systems in the country. The measures used to score the top systems are underpinned by health information technology.

Thomson Reuters’ 15 Top Health Systems, released Jan. 16, singles out those hospital health systems that have achieved superior clinical outcomes. Thomson Reuters determined the scores of more than 300 organizations based on a composite score of eight measures of quality, patient perception of care and efficiency. The study used data primarily from the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review data set and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare data set.

Thomson Reuters’ 15 Top Health Systems are:

Large Health Systems (more than $1.5 billion total operating expense)

• Banner Health, Phoenix
• CareGroup Healthcare System, Boston
• Main Line Health, Bryn Mawr, Pa.
• Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, Houston
• St. Vincent Health, Indianapolis

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

• Baystate Health, Springfield, Mass.
• Geisinger Health System, Danville, Pa.
• HCA Central and West Texas Division, Austin, Texas
• Mission Health System, Asheville, N.C.
• Prime Healthcare Services, Ontario, Calif.

Small Health Systems (less than $750 million)

• Baptist Health, Montgomery, Ala.
• Maury Regional Healthcare System, Columbia, Tenn.
• Poudre Valley Health System, Fort Collins, Colo.
• Saint Joseph Regional Health System, Mishawaka, Ind.
• Tanner Health System, Carrolton, Ga.

“This year we are seeing stronger system-wide performance and increased rates of improvement, particularly among the 15 Top Health Systems award winners. Health system performance is beginning to reflect aspirations to provide more consistent outcomes across communities served,“ said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals program at Thomson Reuters, in a statement. “Healthcare reform appears to have stimulated the increased rate of improvement at the system level.”

Thomson Reuters’ study found that the top 15 health systems had:

• Lower 30-day mortality rates: The top 15 systems held 30-day mortality rates steady, while their peers demonstrated a significant increase in post-discharge mortality.
• Better survival rates: The top 15 had 17 percent fewer deaths than expected considering severity, while their peers had 4 percent more deaths than expected.
• Shorter hospital stays: Patients treated in the top 15 hospitals had a median average length of stay of 4.7 days, while those not in the top 15 had a median of 5.1 days.
• Better patient safety and core measure adherence: The top 15 had 23 percent fewer adverse patient safety events than expected and adhered better to core measures of care.

Follow HFN associate editor Stephanie Bouchard on Twitter @SBouchardHFN.