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UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA MEDICAL CENTER NAMED TOP 100 HOSPITAL FIVE YEARS IN A ROW

For the fifth consecutive year, the University of Virginia Medical Center has been recognized as one of the nation’s top 100 hospitals, according to Solucient’s 100 Top Hospitals: National Benchmarks for Success study for 2002.    

Particularly, hospitals named to the top 100 list for four or more years are more likely to adopt new diagnostic and therapeutic technologies earlier than other hospitals, according to Solucient. For instance, among hospitals that perform coronary artery bypass surgery, winners for four or more years were twice as likely to perform a new laser procedure, transmyocardial revascularization, on patients with severe angina.       

Every year, Solucient recognizes 100 hospitals across the nation for setting performance benchmarks in four critical areas: quality of care, operational efficiency, financial performance and adaptation to the external environment.

“This honor reflects the extraordinary hard work and commitment of our faculty and staff to be the best when it comes to patient care, research and medical innovation,” said R. Edward Howell, vice president and chief executive officer of the U.Va. Medical Center.  “The performance measures used by Solucient demonstrate the value of collaboration delivering quality patient care to the citizens of the Commonwealth and the region.”

Among the key findings of the Solucient study, the top 100 hospitals:

  • Have higher survival rates. An additional 84,000 Medicare inpatients could survive if performance in all acute care hospitals matched that of the top 100.
  • Have fewer complications.  An additional 54,000 patient stays could be complication-free each year if all acute care hospitals adopted the top 100 benchmarks, saving an estimated $10 billion in health care costs.
  • Get patients home faster.  Patients at winning hospitals return to everyday life faster than those at non-winning hospitals. These patients were released a third of a day quicker than at other hospitals.
  • Use newer drugs on the market. Top 100 hospitals, especially those named to the list for four years or more, are more likely to administer newer drugs to ischemic stroke patients or those undergoing balloon angioplasty for cardiovascular disease.   

“The exceptional performance of the 100 Top Hospital award winners brings real value to their communities,” said Jean Chenoweth, executive director of Solucient’s Top 100 Hospitals program. “Spurred by the use of new medical technologies, these hospitals offer patients higher survival rates, more complication-free care, and more efficient delivery of care.”  Among the study’s other findings:

  •  Winning hospitals had expenses per discharge that were nearly 19 percent lower than other hospitals. 
  • The average profit margin for winning hospitals was 7 percent, compared to 2 percent for non-winners.
  • Winning hospitals employ 20 percent fewer staff, but treat more- and sicker- patients than non-winners.
  • The tenth 100 Top Hospitals study analyzed acute care hospitals across the nation using detailed empirical performance data from 2001, including publicly available Medicare MEDPAR data and Medicare cost reports.  For more information, log on to Solucient’s website at www.100tophospitals.com.

September 30, 2003