Mercy Health – St. Rita’s Medical Center has been recognized as one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® according to an independent quality analysis conducted by Premier, Inc. and published by Modern Healthcare.
For more than 30 years, the Top Hospitals® program has used objective, data-driven analysis of publicly available information to highlight hospitals that deliver outstanding clinical outcomes while operating efficiently. Hospitals do not apply to participate in the study, and award recipients do not pay to market their honor.
“This recognition reflects the dedication of our physicians, nurses, and care teams who are committed to delivering safe, high-quality care to every patient, every day,” said Ronda Lehman, president, Mercy Health – Lima. “We are focused on continually improving outcomes, investing in advanced technology, and expanding services so patients don’t have to leave our community to receive exceptional care.”
Mercy Health – St. Rita’s Medical Center serves Lima and its surrounding communities with a full range of services, including cancer treatment, emergency services, specialized surgical care, as well as advanced heart and vascular care. In fact, the hospital was already recognized by Modern Healthcare this year for having one of the nation’s highest performing heart programs.
According to this latest analysis, if all hospitals performed at the level of this year’s 100 Top Hospitals®, the impact for Medicare inpatients could include:
- More than 279,000 additional lives saved
- More than 477,000 additional patients’ complication-free
- More than $14.3 billion in inpatient cost savings
- More than 21,700 fewer patients readmitted within 30 days
Additionally, this year’s benchmark hospitals outperformed peer hospitals across all ten performance measures and in every comparison group. Key findings from the study include:
- A 36.8 percent difference in inpatient mortality between benchmark hospitals and peer hospitals nationally
- Small community hospitals showed the largest inpatient mortality difference, with a 49.3 percent improvement compared to peers
- Teaching hospitals demonstrated the largest difference in complications, outperforming peer hospitals by 30 percent
“Premier’s 100 Top Hospitals program recognizes healthcare organizations that consistently deliver high-quality care while improving operational and financial performance,” said David Zito, President of Performance Services at Premier. “By highlighting top performers and providing transparent, data-driven insights, this program helps hospitals nationwide identify opportunities to enhance care delivery, strengthen financial sustainability and improve outcomes for the communities they serve.”
Premier’s 100 Top Hospitals® program focuses on short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals that treat a broad spectrum of patients. All research was based on publicly available data sources from 2019 through 2024.
For more information, including methodology details, visit www.modernhealthcare.com/awards/mh-premier-100-top-hospitals-2026/