Baystate Health Named Among Top 15 Health Systems in U.S.

SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Health has been recognized by Thomson Reuters for achieving “superior clinical outcomes” in its fourth annual study naming the top 15 health systems in the country, according to Mark Tolosky, president and CEO of Baystate Health.

Judged among its peers in the health care industry, Baystate Health outperformed others in its size category (medium health systems) by saving more lives and causing fewer patient complications, following industry-recommended standards of care more closely, making fewer patient-safety errors, releasing patients a half-day sooner on average, and scoring better on overall patient satisfaction.

“This prestigious recognition from such a respected organization as Thomson Reuters places our health system ahead of the pack nationally in patient outcomes,” said Tolosky. “Our long-term commitment to patient quality and safety, as exemplified in the study, speaks loud and clear to our patients that they can expect the best and most efficient care when they visit one of our hospitals.”

Thomson Reuters analyzed more than 300 organizations based on a composite score of eight measures of quality, patient perception of care, and efficiency. U.S. health systems with two or more short-term, general, non-federal hospitals; cardiac and orthopedic hospitals; and critical-access hospitals were assessed in the study.

Researchers looked at eight metrics that gauge clinical quality and efficiency: mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average length of stay, 30-day mortality rate, 30-day readmission rate, adherence to clinical standards of care, and HCAHPS patient-survey score. The HCAHPS survey is part of a national initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to measure the quality of care in hospitals.

The independent study relied on public data from the 2010 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review data and the CMS Hospital Compare data sets. Hospitals do not apply to be a part of the study.