Hartford Business Journal

2 Hartford Business Journal • June 10, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com IBM estimates that if all hospitals in the US met the benchmarks established by the Top 100, more than 103,000 lives would be saved and costs could be reduced by $8.2 billion annually. These are meaningful differences that all come under the broad heading of "value." According to Watson Health, "these industry leaders appear to have successfully negotiated the ne line between running highly effective operations and being innovative and forward thinking in ways that grow their organizations over the short and long term." At Saint Francis Hospital and Trinity Health Of New England, we strive every day to deliver exceptional value, to our patients and our communities. We continue to make smart investments in technology and innovation, focused on providing the safest and highest quality services. We implement patient-focused programs such as our 29-minute pledge, which ensures emergency department patients will be seen quickly. Programs such as the Connecticut Joint Replacement institute and the Mandell Center for Multiple Sclerosis have become known for outstanding quality not only across the country but now internationally. We're proud of what we have accomplished, and are happy that organizations such as IBM Watson Health place us among the top hospitals in the country. If you're looking for a healthcare system that can provide "consistent, balanced, and sustainable high performance" look no further than Saint Francis Hospital. stfranciscare.org An IBM Watson Health's Top 100 Hospital Saint Francis Hospital is particularly proud to be named one of IBM Watson Health's Top 100 Hospitals. We are the only hospital in Connecticut to achieve this recognition—and it is not a rst for us. Saint Francis has been on the Top 100 list eight times since the inception of the program. While you might be surprised that IBM is in the hospital ranking business, their program has been going on for twenty-ve years, and reects IBM's commitment to innovation and quality. IBM states the Top 100 Hospitals program is "designed to shine a light on the nation's highest performing hospitals and health systems." It also reects a multi-faceted approach to ranking that is data driven and based on clinical, operational, and patient perception-of-care measures that form a balanced scorecard. Many businesses may be familiar with the balanced scorecard concept as introduced by Kaplan and Norton. Before looking further at what this program is, it is instructive to mention what it is not. First, hospitals can not apply for this recognition; rather they are selected based on IBM's independent research. Second, hospitals do not pay for the right to market being named to the Top 100 list. The only way to get on the list is to earn your way on it. This makes the accomplishment all the more gratifying. Here's what distinguishes the top 100 hospitals: They have fewer patient complications, fewer hospital acquired infections (HAI's) and lower readmission rates. They deliver faster emergency care, and also send patients home sooner. They also manage to keep expenses low while simultaneously scoring higher on patient ratings of their overall hospital experience. John F. Rodis, M.D. President Saint Francis Hospital Value in Health Care

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