Superior performance in quality and safety recognized
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU Medicine-West Virginia University Hospitals was ranked the sixth top academic medical center out of more than 200 participating organizations in a national study of major academic medical centers and community hospitals. WVU Medicine-WVU Hospitals received Vizient’s 2016 Bernard A. Birnbaum, M.D., Quality Leadership Award for superior performance.
“This award shows the dedication of our faculty and staff, from top to bottom, to high-quality, patient-centered care,” Albert Wright, president and CEO of WVU Medicine, said. “To see our name ranked alongside other top academic medical centers confirms to me that we have the best people delivering the best care to the people who come through our doors, and we’re only getting better.”
The rankings are determined by Vizient’s Quality and Accountability Study, which has been conducted annually since 2005. Awards are given to academic medical centers and community hospital members that demonstrate excellence in delivering high-quality care based on mortality, safety, efficiency, effectiveness, patient centeredness, and equity. These top organizations consistently demonstrate a shared sense of purpose, hands-on leadership style, vertical and horizontal accountability, a focus on results, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
This year, more than 100 academic medical centers and 124 community hospitals were included in the study, which reviewed performance data from a variety of sources, including Vizient’s Clinical Data Base, Vizient’s Core Measures Data Base, the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network.
The top-ranked academic medical centers for 2016 are:
- University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics
- NYU Langone Medical Center
- Mayo Clinic Hospital-Rochester
- Froedtert Health-Froedtert Hospital
- Rush University Medical Center
- WVU Medicine-West Virginia University Hospitals
- Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
- Cedars-Sinai Health System
- Houston Methodist
- Nebraska Medicine
- The Ohio State University Wexner Health System
- University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Center
- University of Vermont Medical Center
“Quality is a top focus for us,” Judie Charlton, M.D., WVU Medicine chief medical officer, said. “We’re very proud to be recognized for the good work that we do, and we are especially proud that we accomplished this feat while facing significant challenges, such as record patient volumes and supporting our state through the flooding and blizzard natural disasters.”
Vizient, Inc., the largest member-driven healthcare performance improvement company in the country, presented the award on Thursday, Sept. 29 during the 2016 Vizient Clinical Connections Summit held in Dallas.
About Vizient, Inc.
Vizient, Inc., the largest member-driven healthcare performance improvement company in the country, provides innovative data-driven solutions, expertise, and collaborative opportunities that lead to improved patient outcomes and lower costs. Vizient serves a diverse membership and customer base, which includes academic medical centers, pediatric facilities, community hospitals, integrated health delivery networks, and non-acute healthcare providers and represents almost $100 billion in annual purchasing volume. The Vizient brand identity represents the integration of VHA Inc., University HealthSystem Consortium, and Novation, which combined in 2015, as well as the recently acquired MedAssets’ Spend and Clinical Resource Management (SCM) segment, which includes Sg2. In 2016, Vizient received a World’s Most Ethical Company designation from the Ethisphere Institute. Vizient headquarters is based in Irving, Texas, with locations in Chicago and other cities across the United States. For more information, visit www.vizientinc.com.
Photo caption: Representatives from WVU Medicine-WVU Hospitals traveled to Dallas to receive the Vizient 2016 Bernard A. Birnbaum, M.D., Quality Leadership Award. Pictured are front row, left to right: Mike Sweet, director, Center for Quality Outcomes; Brittany Brooks, decision support analyst; Matt Smith, M.D., director, Stroke Center; Missy Polito, patient safety coordinator; Keavy Farris, decision support analyst; Chris Giardina, respiratory quality specialist; and Jennifer Nguyen, quality analyst.
Back row, left to right: Joe Summers, quality nurse specialist; Nancy Vest, associate vice president and chief data management officer; Judie Charlton, M.D., chief medical officer; Nate Lerfald, M.D., WVU Medicine internal medicine physician; Frank Briggs, Pharm.D., chief quality officer; Alex Forman, decision support analyst; Jen Shrader, quality nurse specialist; Ron Pellegrino, M.D., chief operating officer; and Terry Kisner, manager, Center for Quality Outcomes.