Rogers hospital named to top 100 hospitals list

Rogers’ Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas is on the 2021 Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list, which highlights the nation’s top-performing hospitals and health systems. It’s the third consecutive year Mercy received the honor.

To create the list, IBM Watson Health researchers evaluated 2,675 short-term, acute care and non-federal hospitals. They were measured on several qualities including clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, and patient experience and contributions to community health with a focus on equity, a new component this year.

The list is separated into 60 community hospitals and 40 teaching hospitals. It included Mercy among the top performing teaching hospitals in the U.S. The hospital’s quality care has been consistently recognized in recent years, including receiving a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and earning A safety grades from The Leapfrog Group.

“It lifts our spirits to be recognized for the third year running for our excellence in care and best practices that ensure optimal outcomes for our patients,” hospital President Eric Pianalto said in a statement. “It’s been a tough year for everyone but especially for healthcare workers, and we’re grateful for their sacrifices and dedication to the best in care in unforeseen and difficult circumstances.”

Mercy Hospital NWA is a 252-bed, faith-based nonprofit hospital offering a 24-hour emergency department, cardiovascular care, women and children’s services, Level IIIA neonatal intensive care unit, general, bariatric and orthopedic surgery, and more. Mercy completed a nearly $300 million expansion in late 2019, which included a $141 million, seven-story hospital tower addition that nearly doubled the hospital’s footprint and added beds and enhanced services.

Baptist Health-Hot Spring County in southwest Arkansas was the only other Arkansas facility on the Top 100 list. The Malvern hospital was honored in the small community hospitals category.