Leading the Pack

Monmouth medical center earns spot alongside top-performing hospitals in the country.

MONMOUTH MEDICAL CENTER IS THE only New Jersey hospital to be named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals by IBM Watson Health. The study spotlights the top-performing hospitals in the U.S. based on a balanced scorecard of publicly available clinical, operational and patient satisfaction metrics and data.

The Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals study uses independent and objective research to analyze hospital and health system performance in 10 clinical and operational areas addressing: risk-adjusted inpatient mortality index, risk-adjusted complications index, mean healthcare-associated infection index, mean 30-day risk-adjusted mortality rate, mean 30-day risk-adjusted readmission rate, severity-adjusted length of stay, mean emergency department throughput, case mix- and wage-adjusted inpatient expense per discharge, adjusted operating profit margin and HCAHPS score (patient rating of overall hospital performance). The analysis has been conducted annually since 1993.

“This award is a testament to the commitment of our physicians, nurses and staff to ensure the highest quality, safest patient care,” said Eric Carney, CEO for Monmouth Medical Center, which was recognized in the teaching hospital category.

“We understand that what matters most to our patients is safe, effective care, and as the head of the hospital, it is very gratifying to be recognized for our commitment to quality by a business unit of IBM that is dedicated to the development and implementation of cognitive and data-driven technologies to advance health.” Based on the results of this year’s study, IBM Watson Health estimates that if all Medicare inpatients received the same level of care as those treated in the award-winning facilities:

• More than 103,000 additional lives could be saved;
• More than 38,000 additional patients could be complication-free;
• More than $8.2 billion in inpatient costs could be saved; and
• Approximately 155,000 fewer discharged patients would be readmitted within 30 days.

“At a time when research shows that the U.S. spends nearly twice as much on healthcare as other high-income countries, yet still has poorer population health outcomes, the 100 Top Hospitals are bucking the trend by delivering consistently better care at a lower cost,” said Ekta Punwani, 100 Top Hospitals program leader at IBM Watson Health. “The hospitals on this list represent the current vanguard in value-based care and we applaud their commitment to quality.”

The winning hospitals were announced in the March 4 edition of Modern Healthcare magazine. For more information, visit 100tophospitals.com.