Asante Named One of the Nation's 15 Top Health Systems…Again

Truven Health Analytics Recognizes Asante for Second Consecutive Year

Asante was named again as one of the 2014 Truven Health 15 Top Health Systems by Truven Health Analytics. It is one of only four health systems west of the Continental Divide to earn 15 Top distinction this year.

Roy Vinyard
President and CEO
Asante

“It was an honor to be recognized as one of the 15 best in the nation last year, but to earn this recognition a second consecutive time demonstrates the continued dedication to quality and performance at every level of our organization,” said Roy Vinyard, president and CEO of Asante. “Not all health systems are created equal, and it takes commitment over time to get these kinds of results. It shows that everyone across our organization is putting our patients first every day, every time.”

The 15 Top Health Systems study is part of the esteemed 100 Top Hospitals program at Truven Health Analytics. Truven evaluates performance in eight key areas using publicly available information from Medicare: 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 & Medicaid Services), and HCAHPS patient survey scores (part of a national initiative sponsored by the United States Department of Health and Human Services to measure the quality of care in hospitals).The study has been conducted annually for the past six years.

Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals programs at Truven Health Analytics, said, “This year's health system winners are setting the national standard for higher quality, efficiency and patient perception of care, which together mean higher value for the communities they serve.”

Among the key findings in the study were the following:

Better Survival Rates: The winning 15 top health systems experienced 2-percent fewer deaths than non-winning peer-group hospitals.

Lower 30-Day Mortality Rates: Winning systems’ 30-day mortality rates were lower than peer systems’, and smaller-sized winning systems outperformed their peers by the widest margin.

Fewer Complications: Patients of the winning health systems had 3-percent fewer complications than patients in other systems.

Shorter Hospital Stays: Patients treated in the winning system hospitals had a median average length of stay of 4.5 days, over half a day shorter than their peers’ median of 5.0 days.

Better Patient Safety and Core Measure Adherence: The top health systems had 8-percent fewer adverse patient safety events than expected, given the case mix of the particular hospital, and had better adherence to core measures of care than their peers.

“This achievement is a win for every patient who is cared for at an Asante facility,” said Vinyard. “It demonstrates our commitment to the highest standards of quality care and patient experience. I thank each and every Asante team member, physician and volunteer for making Asante a healthcare leader, not only in our region, but across the nation.”

*More information on this study and other 100 Top Hospitals research is available at www.100tophospitals.com.