FORT WAYNE —  Parkview Health has again been named one of the nation’s 15 Top Health Systems by IBM Watson Health. The study, which identifies the top five systems in three categories according to size, named Parkview among the top five in the medium-size category for 2019. 

According to Watson Health, the top-performing health systems achieved better risk-adjusted outcomes and higher patient satisfaction scores while simultaneously maintaining a lower average cost per patient than other health systems evaluated in the study. This is the second time Parkview Health has been recognized with this honor – the system was previously recognized in 2017. 

“Of all the recognitions we receive, this one stands out because it confirms our commitment to better outcomes and higher patient satisfaction, while also maintaining lower costs,” said Mike Packnett, president and CEO, Parkview Health. “Providing the best care at the best cost is a direct reflection of our dedication to world-class teamwork, excellence and innovation. We are honored to have again been named among the nation’s top health systems – a true affirmation of our mission to improve health and inspire well-being in our region.” 

The 15 Top Health Systems leverages advanced data, science and analytics capabilities to calculate hospital and health system performance benchmarks. The 2019 study evaluated 337 health systems and 2,961 member hospitals to identify the 15 U.S. health systems with the highest overall achievement on a balanced scorecard. The scorecard is based on the 100 Top Hospitals national balanced scorecard methodologies and focuses on five performance domains: inpatient outcomes, process of care, extended outcomes, efficiency and patient experience. 

Based on extrapolating the results of this year’s study, if all similarly-situated Medicare inpatients received the same level of care as those treated in the award-winning facilities: 

• More than 60,000 additional lives could be saved;
• More than 26,000 additional patients could be complication-free;
• Healthcare-associated infections would be reduced by 10%; and
• Patients would spend 38 minutes less in hospital emergency rooms per visit.

“The multi-year trend toward increased healthcare consolidation has shined a spotlight on health system performance, illuminating both the challenges of coordinating care across multiple facilities and the opportunities that can come with scale,” said Ekta Punwani, 100 Top Hospitals program leader at IBM Watson Health. “The institutions recognized in the IBM Watson Health 15 Top Health Systems study are providing a blueprint for how to improve quality, lower costs and achieve outstanding patient satisfaction on a consistent basis.”

For more information on the study, visit www.100tophospitals.com.