Mercy Health – St. Rita’s Medical Center was named one of the nation’s Top 100 Hospitals by IBM Watson Health™. The study spotlights the top-performing hospitals in the U.S. list based on a balanced scorecard of publicly available clinical, operational and patient satisfaction metrics and data.

This is the second consecutive year Mercy Health – St. Rita’s Medical Center has been recognized among the Top 100 hospitals in the country and remains the only hospital in the region to earn this recognition.

The Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals® study uses independent and objective research to analyze hospital and health system performance in 10 clinical and operational areas addressing: 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. (patient rating of overall hospital performance). The study has been conducted annually since 1993.

“Mercy Health – St. Rita’s is focused on providing top care to our patients. This recognition once again solidifies our on-going commitment to our community and to the Mercy Health mission,” said Bob Baxter, president, Mercy Health – Toledo & Lima. “The 100 Top Hospitals designation is an affirmation of the dedication of our doctors, nurses and staff to providing our community with easy access to safe, effective, timely and cost-efficient care.”

St. Rita’s has been a leader in advancing quality care in the region. Recent accomplishments include the affiliation with The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research The James Cancer Network to provide a more comprehensive care plan to patients with cancer. Additionally the cardiac team has introduced to the region the minimally invasive Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedure for those needing heart surgery.

“Earning a place for the second consecutive year on the 100 Top Hospitals list is a tribute to our St. Rita’s team,” said Ronda Lehman, Mercy Health – St. Rita’s Medical Center interim president. “Combining quality and compassion is what St. Rita’s has been known for throughout our more than 100-year history and it remains our commitment to our community in the years to come.”

Based on this year’s results, the study extrapolates that if all Medicare inpatients received the same level of care as those treated in the award-winning facilities:

  • More than 103,000 additional lives could be saved
  • More than 38,000 additional patients could be complication-free
  • More than $8.2 billion in inpatient costs could be saved
  • Approximately 155,000 fewer discharged patients would be readmitted within 30 days

“At a time when research shows that the U.S. spends nearly twice as much on healthcare as other high-income countries, yet still has poorer population health outcomes , the 100 Top Hospitals are bucking the trend by delivering consistently better care at a lower cost,” said Ekta Punwani, 100 Top Hospitals® program leader at IBM Watson Health. “The hospitals on this list represent the current vanguard in value-based care and we applaud their commitment to quality.”

The winning hospitals were announced in the March 4th edition of Modern Healthcare magazine. For more information, visit www.100tophospitals.com.