UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital has been named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals by IBM Watson HealthTM. Formerly known as the Truven Health Analytics® 100 Top Hospitals, this study spotlights the top-performing hospitals in the U.S. list based on a balanced scorecard of publicly available clinical, operational and patient satisfaction metrics and data.
The IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals winners outperformed peer group hospitals within all 10 clinical and operational performance benchmarks evaluated in the study: risk-adjusted inpatient mortality index, risk-adjusted complications index, mean healthcare-associated infection index, mean 30-day risk-adjusted mortality rate, mean 30-day risk-adjusted readmission rate, severity-adjusted length of stay, mean emergency department throughput, case mix- and wage-adjusted inpatient expense per discharge, adjusted operating profit margin, and HCAHPS score. The study has been conducted annually since 1993.
This is the eighth time St. Luke’s has been recognized with this honor. Hospitals do not apply or pay to participate in the studies, nor do winners pay to promote their award.
“Our appearance on this list is credit to every team member, every member of our medical staff, and every member of our governing board – present and past,” said Michelle Niermann, UnityPoint Health - St. Luke’s Hospital President and CEO. “A longstanding commitment to reaching higher in this community means that patients experience safer care and better outcomes at a lower cost than they would experience most anywhere else in the country. That’s something to be proud of.”
Extrapolating the results of this year's study, 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; and
•Approximately 155,000 fewer discharged patients would be readmitted within 30 days.
"At a time when research shows that the U.S. spends nearly twice as much on healthcare as other high-income countries, yet has less effective population health outcomes, the 100 Top Hospitals are setting a different example by delivering consistently better care at a lower cost," said Ekta Punwani, 100 Top Hospitals® program leader at IBM Watson Health.
St. Luke's has earned this honor in 2019, 2018, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2009, 2005 and 2004. The award evaluates nearly 3,000 hospitals and recognizes the top 100 that have achieved excellence in patient outcomes, patient safety, treatment standards, patient satisfaction, efficiency and financial stability.
The winning hospitals were announced in the March 4th edition of
Modern Healthcare magazine.
For more information, visit
100tophospitals.com.