Spectrum Health Named Top 15 Health System in the U.S.

Only System in Michigan to Receive This Honor

April 21, 2014

Spectrum Health was named one of the nation’s 15 Top Health Systems® today by Truven Health Analytics. The study is part of Truven’s 100 Top Hospitals® program and selects the 15 best health systems in the nation based on key performance measures in quality, safety and patient satisfaction.

It is the third time that Spectrum Health has been placed on the list of top health systems by Truven Health Analytics (formerly the health care arm of Thomson Reuters). Spectrum Health is the only health system in Michigan to be recognized with this distinction in 2014.

The annual, quantitative study uses objective, independent research and public data sources. Data came from Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data. Core measures and patient satisfaction data came from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website. More than 300 health systems were analyzed in consideration for the 2014 15 Top Health Systems list.

“Spectrum Health is honored to be recognized as one of the 15 best health systems in the country,” said Richard C. Breon, President & CEO, Spectrum Health. “As a locally owned, Grand Rapids-based health system, we consider this recognition significant. This distinction reflects the high quality care and excellent patient experiences that our physicians and employees provide individuals and families every day.”

Spectrum Health was one of five top health systems listed in the category of “large health systems” with more than $1.5 billion in total operating revenue. The winning health systems were announced in the April 21st edition of Modern Healthcare magazine.

“This year’s health system winners are setting the national standard for higher quality, efficiency and patient perception of care, which together mean higher value for each community served,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals® programs at Truven Health Analytics. “These systems have strong leadership and clinical excellence. And they are, or stand to become, outstanding partners with employers and other stakeholders in setting goals for improving community health.”

The study evaluates performance in eight key areas: mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average length of stay, 30-day mortality rate, 30-day readmission rate, adherence to clinical standards of care (evidence-based core measures published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), and HCAHPS patient survey score (part of a national initiative sponsored by the United States Department of Health and Human Services to measure the quality of care in hospitals). The study has been conducted annually for the past six years.

Among the key findings in the study were the following:

Better Survival Rates: The winning 15 top health systems experienced 2-percent fewer deaths than non-winning peer-group hospitals.
Lower 30-Day Mortality Rates: Winning systems’ 30-day mortality rates were lower than peer systems’, and smaller-sized winning systems outperformed their peers by the widest margin.
Fewer Complications: Patients of the winning health systems had three percent fewer complications than patients in other systems.
Shorter Hospital Stays: Patients treated in the winning system hospitals had a median average length of stay of 4.5 days, over half a day shorter than their peers’ median of 5.0 days.
Better Patient Safety and Core Measure Adherence: The top health systems had 8 percent fewer adverse patient safety events than expected, given the case mix of the particular hospital, and had better adherence to core measures of care than their peers.

More information on this study and other 100 Top Hospitals research is available at www.100tophospitals.com.

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system, based in West Michigan, offering a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, which is comprised of 11 hospitals including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital; 170 ambulatory and service sites; 1,080 employed physicians and advanced practice providers including members of the Spectrum Health Medical Group; and Priority Health, a 575,000-member health plan. Spectrum Health is West Michigan’s largest employer with 21,300 employees. The organization provided $250 million in community benefit during its 2013 fiscal year.