Asante Named a 15 Top Health System in the Nation
Four Years in a Row

The only health system in the Pacific Northwest to achieve this award

For the fourth consecutive year, Asante has been named one of the 15 Top Health Systems® in the nation by Truven Health Analytics, an international and independent business research firm and leader in quality measurements. The 2016 Truven study evaluated 338 health systems and 2,912 member hospitals to identify its 15 Top Health Systems in the U.S. Asante is the only health system in Oregon and Washington to achieve this outstanding recognition.

“A recognition such as this is one of the most meaningful because it is a testament to the extraordinary work our caregivers, physicians, employees and volunteers put into practice every day at Asante,” said Roy Vinyard, president and CEO of Asante. “For Asante to receive this award four years in a row further demonstrates our ongoing commitment to provide safe, high quality care to all of our patients.”

To compile its list of 15 top winners, Truven evaluates five areas of a health system’s performance: inpatient outcomes, process of care, extended outcomes, efficiency and patient experience. There are five system winners in three categories – small, medium and large – based on annual operating expenses. With an operating budget of more than $740 million, Asante is ranked in the top five of the small health system category.

"These 15 top-performing health systems prove that quality and efficiency can improve across entire systems, regardless of their size,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals programs at Truven Health Analytics. "It’s clear from our data that many hospital systems have been able to implement a consistent, coordinated approach to quality improvement in the areas that matter most to patients and that is scalable across member hospitals.”

A few metrics where 15 Top Health System winners outperformed their peers include:

• Saved more lives and caused fewer patient complications
• Followed industry-recommended standards of care more closely
• Release patients from the hospital a half-day sooner
• Had over 12 percent shorter wait times in the emergency departments
• Scored over 7 percentage points higher on patient satisfaction
• Readmitted patients less frequently and experienced fewer deaths within 30 days of admission

To maintain the study’s high level of integrity, Truven uses only impartial, public data sources to calculate it findings. “It’s important to note that this is not an award that Asante seeks out or applies for, which makes it all that more meaningful,” said Scott Kelly, Asante’s executive vice president and CEO of Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. “Because Truven is an independent organization, its research method eliminates bias and guarantees uniformity of data across the hundreds of health care systems it evaluates.”

As a not-for-profit, Asante is committed to maintaining or increasing the sum total of our community benefit activities. In fiscal year 2015, Asante’s three hospitals spent more than $106 million towards community benefits including $2.5 million on improvements for mental and behavioral health services; $50,000 to Addictions Recovery Center, Inc., for substance abuse treatment facilities; $25,000 to Mercy Flights for the purchase of a helicopter for emergency medical transportation; and $45,000 to the Jackson County Sexual Assault Response Team.