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	Arrow Valleywise Health Medical Center Named Among the Nation’s “100 Top Hospitals” by IBM Watson Health

Valleywise Health Medical Center Named Among the Nation’s “100 Top Hospitals” by IBM Watson Health


Valleywise Health Medical Center (formerly Maricopa Medical Center) has been recognized as one of IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals. This is the first time Valleywise Health Medical Center has been recognized as one of the top-performing major teaching hospitals in the US and is the only teaching hospital in Arizona to be honored.

Valleywise Health Medical Center also is the only Arizona hospital to receive an “Everest Award,” which recognizes hospitals that have earned the “100 Top Hospitals” designation and ranked among the top 100 hospitals in the nation for fastest rate-of-improvement during a five-year period.

“It is an honor for Valleywise Health Medical Center to be the only teaching hospital in Arizona named to the list of IBM Watson 100 Top Hospitals,” said Steve Purves, President and CEO of Valleywise Health. “This achievement illustrates the dedication of our board members, our partner physicians at District Medical Group, employees, volunteers and community members.”

The IBM Watson Health Top Hospitals study spotlights top-performing hospitals based on evaluation of 3,134 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals in the US. The annual list recognizes excellence in clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, patient experience and financial health. Of the 100 hospitals honored, only 15 large teaching hospitals were recognized, and only 20 hospitals earned the Everest Award.

The lists of the top hospitals and health systems were published by Fortune.

“Hospitals, health systems and the dedicated clinicians and staff who work at these organizations have emerged as true heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic and we are grateful to be able to recognize these extraordinary leaders at this time,” said Kyu Rhee, M.D., M.P.P., Vice President and Chief Health Officer, IBM Watson Health. “From small community hospitals to major teaching hospitals, the organizations on this list demonstrate a relentless commitment to high-value, patient-centered care and innovation. It is clear that the COVID-19 crisis will be a catalyst for reinvention, and we believe these top performing hospitals are positioned to emerge stronger and smarter out of this crisis.”

The 100 Top Hospitals is a data-driven list using independent and objective research to analyze hospital performance, according to the IBM Watson website. The studies used to determine the lists are based on a balanced scorecard of publicly available clinical, operational, and patient satisfaction metrics and data.

Compared to similar hospitals, the hospitals included on the list had better results on performance indicators intended to measure clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, patient experience and financial health.

The outcomes include survival rates, patient complications, healthcare-associated infections, 30-day mortality and 30-day hospital-wide readmission rates, length of stay, throughput in emergency rooms, inpatient expenses, profitability, and ratings from patients.

Performance by these hospitals, when extrapolated to all Medicare inpatients, could result in:

  • More than 106,000 additional lives saved;
  • More than 49,000 additional patients being complication-free;
  • More than $8.3 billion in inpatient costs saved; and
  • Approximately 23,000 fewer discharged patients readmitted within 30 days.

All research was based on the following public data sets: Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) data, and core measures and patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website.

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