Catholic Healthcare Partners Ranked one of the Nations Top 10

 Catholic Healthcare Partners Ranked one of the Nation’s Top 10 Health

          Systems for Quality and Efficiency for 2nd Year in Row

Catholic Healthcare Partners (CHP) was named for the second

year in a row as one of the nation’s Top 10 Health Systems for clinical

quality and efficiency by Thomson Reuters. “The award recognizes the 10

health systems across the nation that have set the national benchmarks for

excellence in balanced performance,” according to Jean Chenoweth, senior

vice president, Performance Improvement and 100 Top Hospitals Programs for

Thomson Reuters.

Researchers from the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals program analyzed the

clinical quality and efficiency of 255 health systems to identify the top

10. Selection to the list is based solely on objective statistical data and

uses only peer-reviewed methodologies to assure transparency.

Mercy Health Partners (MHP) of Northeastern Pennsylvania, is one of nine

CHP regions and is composed of Mercy Special Care Hospital, Nanticoke,

Mercy Hospital, Scranton and Mercy Tyler Hospital, Tunkhannock. Data on the

clinical and efficiency outcomes from Mercy Health Partners hospitals are

included in the data studied by Thomson Reuters.

Mercy Health Partners President and CEO, Kevin Cook discussed the

significance of this achievement and its implications for the residents of

Northeastern Pennsylvania. ”Across the Mercy Health Partners system there

is a clear and consistent commitment to delivering clinical excellence

within a patient-focused environment and one of the ways we live out our

mission is by constantly working to provide quality care right here at

home,” he emphasized.

“The entire Mercy family is proud of our part in this national recognition,

and as we grow, we want to let this great community know that the constant

pursuit of excellence is fundamental to our clinical culture and to our

mission.”

“We are honored to be recognized for the second consecutive year as a

Thomson Reuters Top 10 Health System,” said Michael D. Connelly, president

& CEO, CHP. “We are delighted at this recognition of our continuing efforts

to improve and enhance clinical quality and patient safety. Thomson

Reuters’ affirmation of the efforts of our front-line clinical staff,

physicians and every person who works every day to make CHP hospitals and

care facilities excellent in every regard should feel especially proud of

these results. We feel this recognition affirms our healing ministry in a

most personal and professional way.”

Chenoweth added Top 10 “health systems outperformed their peers by a wide

margin. They provided better care, saved more lives, had fewer medical

complications, and made fewer patient safety errors – even though they

treat sicker patients, on average. They set the standard for the industry.”

Top 10 health systems had 12.3 percent fewer mortalities, 13.2 percent

fewer complications and 5.4 percent better patient safety than peer

systems. In addition, patients returned home sooner with average lengths of

stays more than a half day shorter than similar systems, and with better

longer-term outcomes.

The Thomson Reuters study assessed all US health systems with two or more

short-term, general, non-federal hospitals. Researchers looked at eight

metrics that gauge clinical quality and efficiency. These include:

Mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average length of stay,

adherence to clinical standards of care (evidence-based core measures

published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), 30-day

mortality rate, 30-day readmission rate and HCAHPS patient satisfaction.

Three of the criteria are new for this year – both 30-day measures and

patient satisfaction.

Mercy Health Partners is licensed for over 300 beds, employs approximately

1,700 associates and serves a network of more than 700 physicians

throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. The healthcare system is served by

400 volunteers. Mercy Health Partners and its mission of service has been

an integral part of Northeastern Pennsylvania for over 100 years.

Catholic Healthcare Partners is the largest health system in Ohio and one

of the largest nonprofit health systems in the U.S.  With $5 billion in

assets, CHP employs 38,300 associates in more than 100 organizations,

including 34 hospitals which serve the healthcare needs of people in Ohio,

Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania and contiguous states. True to

our mission, in 2009 CHP provided more than $348 million in targeted

community benefit.  CHP actively lives our values by committing to

comprehensive benefits, including health care coverage for all regular

associates, and by paying competitive wages, including a just wage that

exceeds state and federal minimums.

Thomson Reuters is a leading provider of information and solutions to

improve the quality and cost of health care.