TACOMA, Wash – The Pulse Heart Institute at MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital has been named as one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in the United States by IBM Watson Health™. IBM Watson Health conducts an annual study to identify top U.S. hospitals for inpatient cardiovascular services based on a balanced national scorecard of hospital performance metrics. The Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study has been conducted since 1998. This is the first time MultiCare’s Pulse Heart Institute has been recognized with this honor.
Pulse’s Chief Medical Officer Needham Ward, MD, explained, “This honor has been accomplished due to the dedication and hard work of our teams, who believe in the Pulse mission and put the patient first. None of this is possible without the concept of team, which includes collaborating with all of our partners.”
This year’s study included 989 U.S. hospitals with cardiovascular service lines. To compile the list of top hospitals, IBM Watson Health researchers analyzed federal data from Medicare cost reports, Hospital Compare and the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review from 2015 to 2018. Hospitals were scored on numerous performance measures, such as risk-adjusted mortality and 30-day readmission rates. Hospitals named to this year’s list saw higher inpatient survival rates, fewer complications, lower costs per case and lower readmission rates.
Based on comparisons between the study winners and a peer group of similar hospitals in the study, the winners delivered better outcomes while operating more efficiently and at a lower cost. Extrapolating the results of this year’s study, if all Medicare inpatients received the same level of care as those treated in the award-winning facilities:
- More than 11,000 additional lives could be saved
- More than 2,800 additional heart patients could be complication-free
- Over $1.5 billion could be saved
“By finding ways to continuously improve and innovate, the winners of our 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study are identifying opportunities to deliver health care value to patients, communities, and payers,” said Ekta Punwani, MHA, 100 Top Hospitals® program leader at IBM Watson Health. “The top performing hospitals demonstrated better clinical care and were more efficient than their peers at delivering this care.”
About MultiCare
MultiCare Health System is a not-for-profit health care organization with 13 hospitals and more than 26,000 team members. We are committed to achieving our mission of healing and a healthy future and delivering world-class health outcomes and an exceptional experience.
As one of the largest community-based, locally governed health systems in Washington state, our comprehensive system of health includes numerous primary care, urgent care and dedicated specialty services. For more information, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.
