Adding to an extensive list of honors, Rush University Medical Center has been named one of the 100 Top Hospitals in the country by Truven Health Analytics for the second time. The hospitals included in the list were chosen out of the nearly 2,800 non-federal hospitals nationwide that Truven analyzed.
The list is divided into five categories: major teaching, teaching, large community, medium community and small community hospitals. Rush was one of only 15 hospitals nationwide included in the list's major teaching hospitals category and the only academic medical center in Illinois ranked in this category. Rush accompanies Duke University Hospital, Emory University Hospital, Stanford Hospital and other leading academic medical centers in this group.
Hospitals in each category are ranked relative to other hospitals in their grouping based on quantifiable public data measuring each hospital's clinical quality, extended outcomes, efficiency, financial health, and patient assessment of care. Hospitals do not apply to be included in the listing, and they do not pay to promote their inclusion.
"The summary and resulting score reflect the highest levels of unbiased excellence in hospital leadership," Truven says in a report on its top hospitals study. "Winners consistently set industry benchmarks for critical performance measures like 30-day readmissions, mortality rates, customer perception of care, and profit margins."
According to Truven, Rush and the other top hospitals demonstrate excellence in the following ways:
•Better survival rates, considering patient severity
•Fewer patient complications
•Avoiding adverse patient safety events
•Following accepted care protocols
•Lower mortality and 30-day readmission rates
•Keeping expenses low
•Sending patients home sooner
•Scoring better on patient satisfaction surveys
•Better operating profit margins
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