University Hospital was recently named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by IBM Watson Health, a business unit of IBM that is dedicated to the development and implementation of cognitive and data-driven technologies to improve population health. This is the 10th time University Hospital has been recognized with this honor.

Now in its 21st year, the Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study is an annual, objective, quantitative study that identifies the nation's best providers of cardiovascular care, based on publicly available data and a balanced look at clinical, operational, and financial performance metrics. Watson Health singled out the 50 hospitals that achieved superior clinical outcomes in key performance areas, including the following comparisons with a peer group of similar hospitals:

• Fewer patients with complications (6.3% to 27.7% fewer)
• Higher 30-day survival rates for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and heart failure (HF), and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients (0.3 to 0.5 percentage points higher)
• Lower readmission rates for AMI, HF, and CABG patients (0.5 to 0.8 percentage points lower)
• Average lengths of stay for CABG patients that were one day lower than nonwinners and half a day lower for AMI, HF and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients
• $1,485 to $6,704 less in total costs per patient case

Watson researchers say the analysis of the winning hospitals indicate an opportunity for a broader national impact for cardiovascular patients. The study suggests that if all cardiovascular providers in the U.S. performed at the level of this year's winners, more than 11,000 additional lives could be saved, more than 2,800 more heart patients could be complication-free, and more than $1.5 billion could be saved.

To identify the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals, Watson Health researchers analyzed only publicly available data from Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) data set; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare data set; and Medicare Cost Reports. This year's study included 989 US hospitals with cardiovascular service lines. More information on this study is available at 100tophospitals.com.

Resources

• "University Hospital Named One of the Nation's 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals." UW Health news release. Accessed December 2, 2019.