Mercy Hospital NWA Earns Top 100 Hospital Award

Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers on Monday was named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals by IBM Watson Health^TM. The study spotlights the top-performing hospitals in the U.S. based on a balanced scorecard of publicly available clinical, operational and patient satisfaction metrics and data.

The Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals® study uses independent and objective research to analyze hospital and health systems’ performance in 10 areas addressing the risk of mortality and complications, readmission rates, length of stay, cost and patient satisfaction ratings. The study has been conducted annually since 1993. This is the first time Mercy Hospital Northwest has been recognized with this honor.

“We are enthusiastically celebrating this designation because it shows our hospital team’s dedication to saving lives, reducing complications and ensuring patients have the best possible outcomes," said Eric Pianalto, president of Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas. “I’m proud of this recognition for Mercy and for all of the outstanding co-workers who carry on the mission of the Sisters of Mercy in the compassionate care they deliver every day.”

Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas is a 208-bed, faith-based nonprofit hospital offering a 24-hour emergency department, cardiovascular care, women and children’s services, Level IIIA neonatal intensive care unit, general, bariatric and orthopedic surgery, and more. Construction continues on a $141 million, seven-story hospital tower that will nearly double the hospital’s footprint and add 100 beds and additional services. The new tower will open this fall.

Based on the results of this year’s study, IBM Watson Health 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.

Following were the key performance measurements on which 100 Top Hospitals showed the most significant average outperformance versus non-winning peer group hospitals (full study results available here):

• Higher Survival Rates: The 100 Top Hospitals winners achieved survival rates that were 24.9 percent higher than those of peer hospitals.
• Fewer Complications and Infections: Patients at winning hospitals experienced 18.7 percent fewer complications and 19.3 percent fewer healthcare-associated infections than peer group hospitals.
• Shorter Length of Stay: Winning hospitals had a median severity-adjusted length of stay that was one half-day shorter (0.5) than peers.
• Shorter Emergency Department Wait Times: Overall, winning hospitals delivered median emergency department wait times that were 17.3 minutes shorter than those of peer group hospitals.
• Lower Inpatient Expenses: Average inpatient costs per discharge were 11.9 percent lower (a difference of $830 per discharge) at 100 Top Hospitals versus peer group hospitals.
• Higher Profit Overall Margins: Winning hospitals maintained a median operating profit margin that was 11.9 percentage points higher than peer group hospitals.
• Higher Patient Satisfaction: Overall hospital experience, as measured by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS), was rated 3 percent higher for winning hospitals than peer group hospitals.

“At a time when research shows that the U.S. spends nearly twice as much on health care 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 4 edition of Modern Healthcare magazine. Click here for more information.

Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems in 2018, 2017 and 2016 by IBM Watson Health, serves millions annually. Mercy includes more than 40 acute care, managed and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, 900 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 45,000 co-workers and 2,400 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In addition, Mercy's IT division, Mercy Technology Services, supply chain organization, ROi, and Mercy Virtual commercially serve providers and patients in more than 20 states coast to coast.

IBM Watson Health is a business unit of IBM that is dedicated to the development and implementation of cognitive and data-driven technologies to advance health. Watson Health technologies are tackling a wide range of the world’s biggest health care challenges, including cancer, diabetes, drug discovery and more.