Only One Health System from Nebraska Makes the List –Alegent Health

(OMAHA, Neb.) – Alegent Health was the only Nebraska health care system to be named one of the top health systems in the United States by Thomson Reuters.

President and CEO of Alegent Health, Richard A. Hachten II, FACHE, is pleased that the work Alegent Health has done to improve quality, safety and patient outcomes is being acknowledged. “This recognition is about the very things that we consider mission critical,” said Hachten.

The second annual study identified the top 51 best-performing health systems, based on clinical performance across their entire system. Researchers from the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals® program analyzed the quality and efficiency of 255 health systems, and found statistically significant differences between top and bottom performers in several key areas.

Compared with the poorest performers, those at the top of the list averaged 16 percent lower mortality, 18 percent fewer medical complications, and 16 percent fewer patient safety incidents - even though their patients were sicker and their average hospital stays were significantly shorter.

"The development of national benchmarks provides health system boards, physician leaders 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. "This provides the basis for a serious discussion about the role and responsibility of the health system in assuring quality and efficiency to each community."

“We have always set the quality bar very high,” said Hachten. “This benchmark study is a great indicator that, while we are doing a good job of providing high-quality care, we can always do better. Our physicians, nurses and caregivers are all committed to doing what is best for our patients and their families - and this study certainly supports that.”

Of the 255 health systems that were analyzed for the study, only two were from Nebraska and both are headquartered in Omaha; however, only Alegent earned a place in the top 51 list. Two Iowa health systems were also part of the study and both Iowa Health System out of Des Moines and Genesis Health System of Davenport made the top 51 list.

According to Thomson Reuters, U.S. health systems with two or more short-term, general, non-federal hospitals were assessed.

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 H-CAHPS 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).

Researchers from the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals program have analyzed and reported on the performance of individual hospitals since 1993. They have three times (2009, 2008 and 2001) named Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Medical Center as a Top 100 hospital in the country.

This study is only the second that assesses the relative quality and efficiency of inpatient care by health systems as single entities.

About Alegent Health

Alegent Health is the largest not-for-profit, faith-based healthcare system in Nebraska and southwestern Iowa with 10 hospitals, more than 100 sites of service, over 1,300 physicians on its medical staffs and 9,000 employees. Alegent Health was ranked first in the country in quality and patient satisfaction according to the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI). That exceptional commitment to providing patient focused care for the body, mind and spirit of every person keeps Alegent Health faithful to its Mission, which was inspired by its sponsors, Catholic Health Initiatives and Immanuel Health Systems. At Alegent Health, patients and their families find a continuum of care, from women's and children's services, primary care, wellness counseling, and senior care to cardiovascular services, orthopaedics, oncology, physical rehabilitation and behavioral health. Alegent Health is online at www.alegent.com.

For more information on this study or on the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals program, visit www.100tophospitals.com.