Mary Washington Hospital Named One of the Nation's 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals

Mary Washington Hospital Named One of the Nation's 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by IBM Watson Health

Fredericksburg, VA (November 6, 2018) – Mary Washington Hospital was named yesterday as one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by IBM Watson Health™. The Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals™ study is now in its 20th year. This is the first time Mary Washington Hospital has been recognized with this honor.

The Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study uses the most recent Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, Medicare cost reports, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare data. Hospitals were scored in key value-based performance areas: risk-adjusted mortality, risk-adjusted complications, percentage of coronary bypass patients with internal mammary artery use, 30-day mortality rates, 30-day readmission rates, severity-adjusted average length of stay, wage- and severity-adjusted average cost per case and, new this year, CMS 30-day episode payment measures.

“This recognition represents our Cardiovascular team’s hard work and tireless dedication in caring for the communities we serve,” said Michael McDermott, MD, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mary Washington Healthcare. “The safety and well-being of our patients are at the center of everything we do, and we are grateful to be recognized among the top 50 cardiovascular hospitals in the nation.”

If all cardiovascular providers in the U.S. performed at the level of this year's winners (based on Medicare patients only), results industry-wide could amount to: over 10,300 additional lives saved, $1.8 billion saved, and 2,800 additional bypass and angioplasty patients could be complication-free.

“Cardiovascular disease is among the most widespread and costliest diseases in the U.S. with an annual price tag of roughly $317 billion. It is estimated that cardiovascular disease accounts for approximately $1 out of every $6 spent on healthcare in the country. That’s why it is so critical that hospitals find new and innovative ways to deliver better care at a lower cost,” said Ekta Punwani, 100 Top Hospitals® program leader at IBM Watson Health. “The winning hospitals in our study have established the new benchmark for cardiac care performance by driving consistently better outcomes at a lower cost per case than non-winning hospitals.”

The winning hospitals were announced in the November 5th edition of Modern Healthcare magazine. For more information, visit the 100 Top Hospitals website.

About Mary Washington Healthcare

Mary Washington Healthcare is a fully integrated, regional medical system that provides inpatient and outpatient care through over 40 facilities and services, including Mary Washington Hospital, a 451-bed regional medical center, and Stafford Hospital, a 100-bed community hospital. Mary Washington Healthcare is a nonprofit health system and has a long-standing commitment to provide care regardless of ability to pay. For more information about our services and facilities, please visit MWHC website. For more information about our heart program, please visit MWHC heart.

About the IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals® Program

The IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals, formerly the Truven Health Analytics® 100 Top Hospitals, program uses independent, objective research to analyze hospital and health system performance. Organizations do not apply or pay for this honor or pay to promote their award for top performance. Award-winning hospitals and health systems prove that better care is possible and provide an example for other organizations to follow across the industry. The 100 Top Hospitals award winners demonstrate top performance on both how patients are cared for under clinical measures and how the hospital performs as an efficient business. 100 Top Hospitals is a registered trademark of IBM. Visit the 100 Top Hospitals website for more information.

About IBM Watson Health

IBM Watson Health is dedicated to the development and implementation of cognitive and data-driven technologies to advance health. Watson Health technologies are tackling a wide range of the world's biggest healthcare challenges including cancer, diabetes, drug discovery and more. Learn more at the IBM website.