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Our Commitment to Quality
2019 Vizient Quality & Accountability Study Rankings
- Rush University Medical Center
- NYU Langone Medical Center
- Mayo Clinic – Rochester
- University of Utah Health
- Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
- UC San Diego Health
- Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center
- Stanford Medicine
- University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
- Oregon Health and Science University
For ten years in a row, University of Utah Health has been ranked in the top 10 of participating medical centers nationwide in Vizient Inc.’s Quality and Accountability Study. In 2019, U of U Health ranked fourth in the nation among academic medical centers, earning its ninth consecutive Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Award.
In 2010 and 2016, U of U Health achieved the No. 1 ranking among academic medical centers. Making Vizient’s rigorous rankings places a health care system in elite company. This year, Vizient honored 10 academic health systems for achieving excellence in quality and accountability, including the Mayo Clinic and NYU Langone.
In addition to its placement on the top 10 list, U of U Health placed fifth for excellence in ambulatory care. This is the fourth year in a row the U has been ranked in the top 5 for delivering high-quality, patient-centered, efficient and effective outpatient care.
What It Means To Be One of the Nation's Top 10 Health Systems
In September of 2019, U of U Health received the #4 ranking in the nation for quality—joined by some of the top-ranked academic medical centers in the country.
And, we have been ranked in the top 10 in quality nationally for the past ten years in a row!
Why Quality Matters To Us: Patients
These awards by Vizient (formerly University HealthSystem Consortium), whose 2018 membership includes 93 academic medical centers and 349 participating organizations, is meaningful to us in part because it is recognition of our work among our peer institutions. What we take the most pride in is what this ranking means for our patients and our community.
How Does the Quality & Accountability Study Work?
Vizient’s study is one of the most rigorous available. The composite scoring system uses patient-level performance data from a variety of sources, including the Vizient Clinical Database; the Vizient Core Measures Database; the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey; and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network.
The study uses the Joint Commission’s four core measures (acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, pneumonia, and the surgical care improvement project) as part of its effectiveness score along with readmission rates. It looks at mortality not just across eight major service lines but also comprehensively across 27 service lines. It investigates six of 23 patient safety indicators from the Agency of Healthcare Research & Quality. It evaluates the efficiency of the health system based on observed direct costs and length of stay versus expected stay. Finally, it tabulates patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ HCAHPS surveys sent to patient homes.
How Vizient Compares To Other Rating Systems
How are various health care quality rankings different?
- Based on actual care delivery—not reputation
- Provide a current view of performance based exclusively on past year
- Provide apples to apples comparison since academic medical centers care for the most complex and sickest patients in the country
PATIENT POPULATION | ||||
Patient Care Measurements | Medicare Only | All Adults | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Patient-Centered | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Safe | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Efficient | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Effective | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Timely | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Equitable | ✔ | |||
U of U Health Rankings | U.S. News & World Report: #1 Hospital in Utah |
Hospital Safety Score: B |
CMS: 4 Stars, Top Rating in Utah |
Vizient: #4 in Quality Nationally |