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Our Commitment to Quality

2018 Vizient Quality & Accountability Study Rankings

  1. Mayo Clinic—Rochester
  2. Rush University Medical Center
  3. NYU Langone Medical Center
  4. University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
  5. The University of Kansas Health System
  6. University of Pennsylvania Health System
  7. University of Utah Health
  8. Houston Methodist Hospital 
  9. Memorial Hermann—Texas Medical Center
  10. Tufts Medical Center

Vizient Award Winner recipient logo 2018For nine 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 2018, U of U Health ranked seventh 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 October of 2018, U of U Health received the #7 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 nine years in a row!

Why Quality Matters To Us: Patients

These awards by Vizient (formerly University HealthSystem Consortium), whose 2018 membership includes 99 academic medical centers and 193 affiliated hospitals, 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.

why-quality-matters • Extended hours • Urgent care clinics • Same-day specialty appointments BETTER ACCESS • Patients in our burn ICU have had no central line infections in over 4 years • Our preventable blood clot rate is zero for 3 consecutive years FEWER COMPLICATIONS • Patients admitted to UUHC with severe illness have among the highest likelihood of survival in the country BETTER SURVIVAL • Nurses do bedside rounds to engage patients and families in their care plans • Doctors do team-based rounds • Pharmacists provide hands-on assistance at discharge BETTER COMMUNICATION • Innovative case management and care navigator programs mean hospital readmission rates are among the lowest in the country SHORTER STAYS

What is Vizient?

These awards by Vizient, whose membership includes 99 academic medical centers and 193 affiliated hospitals, 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 Vizient Ranks Academic Medical Centers

Vizient's quality and safety award criteria includes 88 objective measures of care, including:

pie-chart Quality and Safety Award Criteria effectiveness in managing costs of care and efficiency of hospital stay EFFICIENCY 10% effectiveness of doctor, nurse, and pharmacy communication PATIENT CENTERED 15% likelihood of receiving reliable care for common conditions like stroke EFFECTIVENESS 20% likelihood that care is consistent regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or socio-economic status EQUITY 5% likelihood of surviving an illness/surgery when being treated at this hospital MORTALITY 25% likelihood of avoiding complications such as infections or blood clots SAFETY 25%

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:
5 Stars, Top Rating in Utah		 Vizient:
#7 in Quality Nationally

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