CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) Watson Health® today announced its 2021 Fortune/IBM Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals list, naming the top-performing U.S. hospitals for inpatient cardiovascular services. This year's study included 980 U.S. hospitals with cardiovascular service lines. Based on comparisons between the study winners and a peer group of similar hospitals in the study, the winners delivered better outcomes while operating more efficiently and at a lower cost. 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 7,000 additional lives and over $1.6 billion could be saved annually, and more than 5,000 additional bypass and angioplasty patients could be complication-free. The list of the top cardiovascular hospitals was published by Fortune.

"Heart disease still remains the leading cause of death for all Americans and has a disproportionate impact on communities of color, rural populations and other underserved groups. In this light, cardiovascular care with an emphasis on health equity is essential," said Kyu Rhee, Chief Health Officer, IBM Watson Health. "The exceptional organizations on the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals list are setting the standard for high quality, efficient, patient-centric care for heart disease. We believe that these top institutions are leading the effort to enhance and evolve the way we treat and prevent this disease."

Compared to similar cardiovascular hospitals, this year's 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals winners had better results on indicators intended to measure clinical outcomes, clinical processes, operational efficiency, and financial performance. These measures evaluate inpatient and 30-day mortality, patient complications, 30-day readmission, average length of stay, 30-day episode-of-care payment, and adjusted cost per case, for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and heart failure (HF) patients.

The release of the 2021 Fortune/IBM Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals list also includes hospitals that currently participate in the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines® (GWTG) programs, which promote evidence-based guidelines and improved patient care. The American Heart Association is the leading voluntary health organization devoted to a world of longer, healthier lives, and its GWTG programs focus on improving patient care and outcomes while adhering to the latest scientific treatment guidelines through its quality improvement registries. 

Nineteen hospitals on this year's 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals list have the additional distinction of meeting the criteria established by the AHA for one or more of its GWTG program recognitions for cardiovascular care.

"After 20 years of quality improvement with our Get With The Guidelines programs, we know that patient outcomes improve when medical professionals follow the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines. Studies have shown that consistent use of these guidelines increases survival rates and lowers patients' risk of ending up back in the hospital," said Eduardo Sanchez, Chief Medical Officer for Prevention for the American Heart Association. "The American Heart Association's recognition program helps identify hospitals that meet guidelines-based standards for the treatment of stroke, heart failure and heart attack, establishing a way for professionals and patients alike to have a trusted, transparent view of the daily efforts to adhere to the latest science in scenarios for every patient."     

Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals List (by category)
* Hospitals are listed in alphabetical order. The order of hospitals reflected below is not to be construed as any indication of performance or recommendation.

Teaching hospitals with cardiovascular residency programs*

• Ascension Borgess Hospital - Kalamazoo, MI
• Ascension St. Vincent Hospital - Indianapolis - Indianapolis, IN
• Baystate Medical Center - Springfield, MA
• Duke Regional Hospital - Durham, NC
• Intermountain Medical Center - Murray, UT
• Kettering Medical Center - Kettering, OH
• Mayo Clinic Rochester - Rochester, MN
• McLaren Macomb - Mount Clemens, MI
• Mercy Medical Center - Cedar Rapids, IA
• MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center - Des Moines, IA
• New York-Presbyterian Queens - Flushing, NY
• Riverside Methodist Hospital - Columbus, OH
• Sanford USD Medical Center - Sioux Falls, SD
• St. Joseph's Health - Syracuse, NY
• Summa Health System - Akron Campus - Akron, OH
• The Christ Hospital - Cincinnati, OH
• UAB Hospital - Birmingham, AL
• UNC REX Hospital - Raleigh, NC
• University Hospital - Madison, WI
• WakeMed Raleigh Campus - Raleigh, NC

Teaching hospitals without cardiovascular residency programs*

• Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola - Pensacola, FL
• Aspirus Wausau Hospital - Wausau, WI
• Atrium Health Pineville - Charlotte, NC
• Baton Rouge General - Baton Rouge, LA
• Boone Hospital Center - Columbia, MO
• Bronson Methodist Hospital - Kalamazoo, MI
• CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System - Texarkana, TX
• Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center - Idaho Falls, ID
• Eisenhower Medical Center - Rancho Mirage, CA
• Grand Strand Medical Center - Myrtle Beach, SC
• Halifax Health Medical Center - Daytona Beach, FL
• Lee Memorial Hospital - Fort Myers, FL
• Mission Hospital - Asheville, NC
• Mount Carmel St. Ann's - Westerville, OH
• North Mississippi Medical Center - Tupelo - Tupelo, MS
• Ocala Regional Medical Center - Ocala, FL
• Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center - Reno, NV
• Sarasota Memorial Hospital - Sarasota, FL
• St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor Hospital - Ann Arbor, MI
• St. Luke's Regional Medical Center - Boise, ID

Community hospitals*

• Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center - Medford, OR
• Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Round Rock - Round Rock, TX
• Columbus Regional Health - Columbus, IN
• McLaren Northern Michigan - Petoskey, MI
• Mercy Iowa City - Iowa City, IA
• Parkwest Medical Center - Knoxville, TN
• Sentara RMH Medical Center - Harrisonburg, VA
• St. Joseph's Hospital - Tampa, FL
• Thibodaux Regional Health System - Thibodaux, LA
• University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center - Towson, MD

Hospitals also recognized by the American Heart Association in one or more of its Get With The Guidelines® programs:

• Ascension Borgess Hospital - Kalamazoo, MI
• Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola - Pensacola, FL
• Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center - Medford, OR
• Atrium Health Pineville - Charlotte, NC
• Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Round Rock - Round Rock, TX
• Baystate Medical Center - Springfield, MA
• Boone Hospital Center - Columbia, MO
• New York-Presbyterian Queens - Flushing, NY
• Parkwest Medical Center - Knoxville, TN
• Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center - Reno, NV
• Sanford USD Medical Center - Sioux Falls, SD
• Sarasota Memorial Hospital - Sarasota, FL
• St. Joseph's Hospital - Tampa, FL
• St. Luke's Regional Medical Center - Boise, ID
• The Christ Hospital - Cincinnati, OH
• UAB Hospital - Birmingham, AL
• University Hospital - Madison, WI
• University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center - Towson, MD
• WakeMed Raleigh Campus - Raleigh, NC

The Watson Health™ 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study is based on quantitative research that uses a balanced scorecard approach, based on publicly available data, to identify the top cardiovascular hospitals in the U.S. To determine the cardiovascular hospitals included on the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals list, IBM Watson Health researchers evaluated 980 short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals that treat a broad spectrum of cardiology patients. It includes patients requiring medical management, as well as those who receive invasive or surgical procedures. Because multiple measures are used, a hospital must provide all forms of cardiovascular care, including open heart surgery, to be included in the study.

All research was based on the following public data sets: Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) data, and Hospital Compare data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website. Hospitals do not apply for awards, and winners do not pay to market this honor.

For more information, visit https://www.ibm.com/watson-health/services/100-top-hospitals.

For more information on American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines® (GWTG) program, visit:  https://www.heart.org/en/professional/quality-improvement.

About the IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals Program
The IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals Program's annual studies result in the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list, Fortune/IBM Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals list and IBM Watson Health 15 Top Health Systems list. Organizations do not apply or pay for this honor or pay to promote their award. Award-winning hospitals and health systems serve as a model of excellence for the industry. Visit http://www.100tophospitals.com/ for more information.

About IBM Watson Health
IBM Watson Health is a data, analytics, and technology partner for the health industry. Supported by the innovation of IBM and intelligence of Watson, we are committed to helping build smarter health ecosystems. Through the combination of our deep industry expertise in health, data and analytics, actionable insights, and reputation for security and trust, Watson Health is working together with its clients and partners to help them achieve simpler processes, better care insights, faster breakthroughs, and improved experiences for people around the world. Learn more at https://www.ibm.com/watson-health.

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SOURCE IBM Watson Health