Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas named among 100 Top Hospitals

For the second consecutive year, Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas was named to the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list, announced Tuesday (June 30) at Fortune.com. The designation comes on top of other quality care recognitions in recent years including a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and “A” safety grades from The Leapfrog Group for the past four years.

The annual independent study by IBM Watson Health reviewed 3,134 hospitals in the U.S. using publicly available clinical, operational and patient satisfaction metrics and data. IBM Watson Health established the list to help identify best practices that may help other health care organizations achieve consistent, balanced and sustainable high performance.

“In these unprecedented times, it buoys my spirits for Mercy Hospital to receive this recognition because it highlights the contributions of our frontline health care workers who deliver outstanding care every day, often in difficult circumstances,” said Eric Pianalto, president of Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas. “Quality, safe care is paramount because it ensures patients have the best possible outcomes no matter what medical landscape we are facing.”

Mercy Hospital St. Louis and Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City were also named to the 100 Top Hospitals list based on operational performance indicators such as rate of health care infections, 30-day mortality, 30-day hospital-wide readmission rates, inpatient expense, patient complications, length of stay, wait time in emergency room, patient ratings, survival rates and profitability.

“Hospitals, health systems and the dedicated clinicians and staff who work at these organizations have emerged as true heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic and we are grateful to be able to recognize these extraordinary leaders at this time,” said Kyu Rhee, M.D., vice president and chief health officer, IBM Watson Health. “From small community hospitals to major teaching hospitals, organizations on this list demonstrate a relentless commitment to high value, patient-centered care and innovation. It is clear that the COVID-19 crisis will be a catalyst for reinvention, and we believe these top performing hospitals are positioned to emerge stronger and smarter out of this crisis.”