NYU Langone scores number one for patient safety and quality among AMCs across nation

NYU Langone Medical Center scored number one for overall patient safety and quality among leading academic medical centers (AMCs) across the nation that participated in the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) 2013 Quality and Accountability Study. In addition, NYU Langone received the UHC Quality Leadership Award for demonstrated excellence in the delivery of high-quality care, achieved five stars for its overall performance, and ranked number one in the domains of safety, effectiveness, and equity.

"NYU Langone went from being ranked eighth in the country last year by UHC to number one in 2013, an incredible accomplishment," said Robert I. Grossman, MD, dean and CEO of NYU Langone Medical Center. "This recognition is especially impressive as it is received just one year after Hurricane Sandy caused severe disruptions and destruction to the medical center's main campus. I am incredibly proud of our faculty and staff for the commitment they have made to provide only the best care, even during times of difficulty—their hard work is truly what has made this achievement possible."

The UHC scorecard is a unique analysis of academic medical centers that takes into account all six quality domains of efficiency, effectiveness, equity, patient centeredness, safety, and timeliness, as defined by the Institute of Medicine in Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century. Unlike other ranking systems, it does not rely exclusively on hospital claims data, which are known to have limitations for quality and safety measurement. It also employs a robust risk adjustment system, to assure fairness for measurement of outcomes such as mortality, length of stay, and cost. Additionally, it does not rely on subjective reputation scores.

"UHC applies the quality and assessment measurement scheme across the entire book of business for all academic medical centers, and those recognized are truly the 'best of the best,'" said Bernard Birnbaum, MD, senior vice president and vice dean, chief of hospital operations at NYU Langone, who received NYU Langone's 2013 UHC Quality Leadership Award this evening at their annual conference. "NYU Langone is dedicated to achieving excellence in quality, safety and cost-effectiveness to ensure the highest standards of care for our patients and their families, and we are honored to be the recipient of this important designation."

The UHC is an alliance of the nation's leading nonprofit academic medical centers, which are focused on delivering world-class patient care. Conducted annually since 2005, UHC's Quality and Accountability Study ranks academic medical centers for their performance across a range of key patient safety and quality indicators including mortality, effectiveness, safety, equity, patient centeredness and efficiency. This year, 101 UHC member institutions were included in the analysis, which relied on data from the UHC Clinical Data Base/Resource Manager™, the UHC Core Measures Data Base and the publicly reported Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems.

This ranking is one of a growing number of accolades the Medical Center has recently received for its overall quality of care. Of note, earlier this year NYU Langone again received a Gold Seal of Approval by The Joint Commission, reflecting a commitment to high quality care. NYU Langone was also named to U.S. News & World Report's 2013 - 2014 "Best Hospitals Honor Roll," as one of the top hospitals in the country, as well as recognized with 12 nationally ranked specialties. It was also one of two medical centers in Manhattan to be awarded with an "A" Hospital Safety ScoreSM by The Leapfrog Group for the past two years for excellence in patient safety. Additionally, Whynotthebest.org, ranked NYU Langone first among the nation's academic medical centers for surgical care. The Niagara Health Quality Coalition named NYU Langone to its "Honor Roll" for three consecutive years and continues to recognize the Medical Center on its list of "America's Safest Hospitals."

SOURCE NYU Langone Medical Center