Thomson Reuters on Wednesday released its annual list of top health systems in system-wide clinical performance. Singling out 15 health systems out of more than 300 organizations, California-based Prime Healthcare Services was among the best-of list. Despite the cloud of federal investigations and media reports of alleged Medicare fraud through upcoding and a patient privacy breach, Prime Healthcare ranked as one of the top health systems for the second time in four years.
"This prestigious recognition speaks volumes of Prime Healthcare's commitment to its core values of quality and cost-effectiveness of health care delivery, bending the cost curve in these times of rapidly evolving healthcare reform across the nation," said Prime Healthcare founder and chair Prem Reddy in a Prime press release.
Prime Healthcare ranked higher than 21 other health systems in California and more than 30 other health systems on the West Coast, according to the press release.
Thomson Reuters based the list on 2010 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare data sets. This year, the top health systems won for performance in eight measures in quality, patient perception of care and efficiency. The winning health systems had lower 30-day mortality rates, better survival rates, fewer complications, shorter hospital stays, and better patient safety and core measure adherence, according to the Thomson Reuters press release.
"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. "Healthcare reform appears to have stimulated the increased rate of improvement at the system level."
Among others on the list were Banner Health in Phoenix; Jefferson Health System in Padnor, Pa.; Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pa.; and HCA Central and West Texas Division in Austin.
For more information:
- read the Thomson Reuters press release
- read the Prime press release (.pdf)