This is sixth year the health care system has made the Top 100 list
In an annual ranking released in late June, Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH) was honored as one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals and as one of the top 40 teaching hospitals, SMH has announced.
“In the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals rankings, SMH outperformed thousands of hospitals across the nation on all clinical and operational benchmarks evaluated,” the release explains. Among other study findings, SMH and the highest-performing hospitals were recognized for the following, the release explains:
- They had lower inpatient mortality (25% fewer deaths than expected, considering patient severity).
- They had fewer patient complications (30% fewer complications than expected, considering patient severity).
- They delivered care that resulted in fewer hospital-acquired infections (47% fewer than peer hospitals recorded).
- They had lower 30-day mortality and 30-day hospital-wide readmission rates.
- They sent patients home sooner.
- They kept inpatient expenses low while still maintaining a healthy financial environment.
- They scored higher on patient ratings of overall hospital experience.
If all hospitals performed at the benchmark levels achieved by SMH, the study found more than 104,000 additional lives could be saved in-hospital, more than 55,000 additional patients could be complication-free, and at least 18,600 fewer discharged patients would be readmitted within 30 days of their hospital stay, the release points out.
“This is the sixth year that Sarasota Memorial has been recognized as a top 100 hospital by Fortune/Merative (formerly Watson Health),” the release notes. “It also has been ranked repeatedly among the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals.” Sarasota Memorial CEO David Verinder said the rankings and the record of other top quality and safety designations that SMH receives each year is a reflection of the health system’s mission-driven team and ongoing support from the locally elected Sarasota County Public Hospital Board, the release adds.
“SMH is a vital community asset that has been caring for the Suncoast for nearly a century,” Verinder said in the release. “I could not be prouder of our entire team and the unwavering diligence and dedication they have displayed the past few years, and through the decades, to ensure our community receives the highest quality care.”
In this year’s 100 Top Hospitals study, the release notes, SMH’s teaching program was spotlighted. SMH-Sarasota was listed among the top three teaching hospitals in Florida and among the top 40 in the nation.
“Study authors noted that hospitals appearing repeatedly on their Top Hospitals lists share key characteristics that elevate them in the healthcare industry, including a mature culture (and a commitment to maintaining it), nursing excellence, deeply committed leadership, quality-focused hospital boards, an embrace of data and innovative technology (used in a practical manner), and local autonomy within health systems,” the release points out
The Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals also list incorporates a community health measure in its ranking process “to recognize hospitals working to promote community health and equity and their contributions to local economic and social progress,” the release says.
The 100 Top Hospitals study, conducted annually since 1993, bases its analysis on publicly available data from 2,650 acute care U.S. hospitals, the release explains. “Hospitals do not apply or pay for this honor or pay to promote their award,” the release adds.
The highest performing hospitals were announced by Fortune: https://fortune.com/2022/06/30/100-top-hospitals-2022-merative/