UH Geauga Medical Center Named One of America's 100 Top Hospitals by Fortune/IBM Watson Health

CHARDON, Ohio – University Hospitals (UH) Geauga Medical Center has been named one of America’s top-performing hospitals by the 2021 Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list.

UH Geauga has been recognized on the 100 Top Hospitals list for two years, and was applauded for high scores in clinical outcomes, operational efficiency and patient experience, of which they ranked in the top percentage (80-100%) within their peer group. Additional measurements included financial health, and a new “community health” category, with the goal of identifying how hospitals improve their surrounding footprint.

Performance indicators include survival rates, patient complications, health care-associated infections, 30-day mortality and 30-day hospital-wide readmission rates, length of stay, throughput in emergency rooms, inpatient expenses, profitability and ratings from patients.

“I am incredibly proud of our UH Geauga team for this well-deserved recognition,” said Donald Decarlo, MD, MBA, Associate System Chief Medical Officer, UH East Region and President, UH Geauga Medical Center. “Our team has shown the importance of keeping our patients healthy and happy while they’re in our care, but we also realize there is much more to the success of a community hospital than caring for those inside our walls. Our team proactively reaches out and travels to our surrounding communities, such as our elderly and Amish populations, and partners with local organizations to provide preventive care through educational events, health screenings and other programs.”

The aim of the Top 100 Hospitals list is to recognize steady performance and notable successes of a variety of health care systems, as well as cut through “prestige bias.” Hospitals do not apply for these awards; instead, IBM Watson Health researchers evaluated 2,675 short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals on the various performance indicators.

Research was conducted utilizing a variety of public data sets, including core measures and patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website, Medicare cost reports and Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) data. Each hospital is then defined within a class based on their bed size and teaching status.

To learn more about the awards and methodology specifics for the rankings, visit:

https://fortune.com/2021/04/27/100-top-hospitals-2021-ibm-watson-health/