Mercy Named Top Five Health Care System in the U.S.

ST. LOUIS, April 25, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Shorter hospital stays, fewer complications and better patient results are just a few metrics used to rank Mercy as one of the top five large health systems in the nation, alongside Mayo Clinic. The 2017 Truven Health 15 Top Health Systems, which includes five large, five medium and five small systems, analyzes 337 health systems and 2,924 hospitals across the U.S. Click here to find the listings.

"For the second year in a row, we are honored to be named one of the top five large systems in the nation for the medical care we provide to our communities," said Lynn Britton, president and CEO of Mercy. "We are improving care to our patients while finding new and innovative ways to decrease costs. It's no small feat, but we are dedicated, like the Sisters of Mercy before us, to provide exceptional care for all." 

Truven, an IBM Watson Health company, produces the only study of its kind to combine rigorous analysis of individual hospital performance metrics into system-level data, identifying the best health systems in the nation. This annual, quantitative scorecard uses objective, independent research and public data sources. Health systems do not apply for consideration, and winners do not pay to market their award.

Mercy, as well as Mayo, outperformed peers in the following ways:

• Saved more lives and caused fewer patient complications
• Lower cost of care
• Readmitted patients less frequently
• Shorter wait times in emergency departments
• Shorter hospital stays
• Better patient safety
• Higher patient satisfaction

Some of the keys to improving patient care have included a decade of efforts made possible because of Mercy's team, leading technology and best practices:

• 40,000 co-workers across four states united around a common mission and focus on providing exceptional care
• 2,000 integrated physicians – one of the largest groups in the nation – bringing family and specialty doctors together to implement proven, clinical-based best practices to improve patient care
• Among the first organizations in the nation to have a comprehensive electronic health record – one patient, one record – providing real-time, paperless access to patient information
• Specialty councils, made up of physicians, nurses and clinicians, representing more than 40 areas of medicine, providing best practices for everything from heart surgery to the delivery of babies

SOURCE Mercy