Among the best

I was delighted to learn over the weekend that Community General Hospital was named one of the Thomson 100 Top Hospital Performance Improvement Leaders. The honor recognizes Community as having “one of the fastest and most consistent rates of improvement in the nation.”

The honor was reported today in Modern Healthcare.

The “Thomson 100 Top Hospitals” awards were formerly known by the name “Solucient 100 Top Hospitals.” Solucient was acquired by the Thomson Corporation in October 2006.

Thomson identifies performance improvement leaders by a multi-year trending methodology that uses the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data base, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Standard Analytical File (SAF) outpatient data set, and the Medicare Cost Report. Each hospital is classified according to its size and teaching status, and each is ranked by performance measures that include patient outcomes, patient safety, efficiency, financial stability, and service growth.

Community General’s overall ranking, as compared with our peers, was at the 98th percentile.

I learned today that another Syracuse hospital received the honor – Crouse Hospital. Congratulations to Dr. Paul Kronenberg and his staff (and my former colleagues) at Crouse. That both of us received the honor is especially significant because Community and Crouse were part of the Health Alliance of CNY from 1999 to 2003…an affiliation that did not work.

During the Health Alliance period, both hospitals suffered significant financial losses, and Crouse filed for Chapter 11 protection from its creditors in 2001, ultimately emerging from bankruptcy a couple years later. Community left the Health Alliance in 2003, and each hospital has since remained independent. As evidenced by the performance improvement awards, we have each made progress notable enough to be recognized nationally.

The credit for Community General’s success goes to all members of the CGH family – especially, our managers and employees, our medical staff, and the members of our board. Thanks also to the auxilians, volunteers, and donors who assist the important work of our hospital.

It is hard work, what we do each day and each year, caring for patients. It is nice to know that objective measures show we have made a difference, and that the pace of our improvement is among the best in the nation.

Congratulations, all.