Catholic Healthcare Partners was named to the Top 10 list of health systems in the United State based on their hospitals’ clinical performance in a Thomson Reuters study released today.

 CHP is the parent company of Mercy Health Partners.  Data on the clinical outcomes from Mercy’s seven hospitals in the East Tennessee area were included in the data studied by Thomson Reuters.

 “This national recognition demonstrates that quality healthcare is the number one priority in Mercy’s hospitals and the other 25 hospitals in the CHP system,” said Debra London, president and CEO of Mercy.  “From our largest hospitals in Knoxville to our community hospitals in Scott, Campbell, Jefferson and Cocke counties, families can trust that they will received the highest quality healthcare possible combined with the compassionate care that has been a hallmark of the Mercy system for more than 75 years.

 “I salute our doctors, nurses, support staff and administrators for concentrating on quality outcomes for our patients.  Their commitment to evidence-based medical practices and our core values helped to put the whole CHP system into the Top 10,” London added.

Michael Connelly, president and CEO of Catholic Healthcare Partners, said this is an important milestone in reaching CHP’s goal of excellence in healthcare.  "We are proud to be recognized for our quality of care and efficiency.  The results of this study affirm our system-wide approach to quality care, and are also a testament to the hard work, determination and the local healing touch that only our front-line caregivers can offer all who come through our doors.”

Researchers from the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals analyzed quality and efficiency of 252 health systems across the country and found statistically significant differences between top and bottom performs in several key areas.

All U.S health systems with two or more short-term, general, non-federal hospitals were assessed.  Researchers looked at five metrics that gauge clinical quality and efficiency: mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average length of stay and adherence to clinical standards of care (evidence-based core measures published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services).  The data studied is from 2006 and 2007.

“The Top 10 includes for-profit and not-for-profit health systems, religious and secular organizations, and facilities that differ in size, ownership structure and geographic distribution of member hospitals,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals programs at Thomson Reuters.  “This suggests that every type of health system has the potential to drive higher quality and health systems could become a powerful force for rapid improvement in hospital performance.”

Mercy Health Partners was formed by the merger of St. Mary’s Health System and Baptist Health System of East Tennessee in 2008.  The new healthcare system operates seven acute-care hospitals and many other healthcare facilities across East Tennessee.  More than 1,000 of the area’s leading physicians are on the active staff at Mercy facilities.  One of East Tennessee’s largest employers, Mercy has 5,700 associates dedicated to providing compassionate care using the latest medical technology.

For physician referral and service information, please call the Ask Mercy phone line at 632-5200 (toll-free at 877-368-7362).  A complete list of Mercy physicians, facilities, services and extensive health information is available online at www.mercy.com.

Catholic Healthcare Partners is the largest health system in Ohio and one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the U.S.  With $4.76 billion in assets, CHP employs 36,500 associates in more than 100 organizations, including 32 hospitals which serve the healthcare needs of people in Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and contiguous states.  True to our mission, in 2008 CHP provided more than $335 million, or 8.2 percent of total expenses, in targeted community benefit.  CHP actively lives our values by committing to comprehensive benefits, including health care coverage for all regular associates, and by paying competitive wages, including a just wage that exceeds state and federal minimums.  CHP is proud that our associates provide high quality care to all who walk through our doors: in fact, CHP was ranked 5th in a recent study that compared quality of care among 73 of the nation's largest healthcare systems.

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