Mercy Iowa City was named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals, the only one in Iowa, in a report released this month by IBM Watson Health.
The annual study, conducted by Truven Health Analytics, now part of IBM Watson Health, identifies the top U.S. hospitals for inpatient cardiovascular services. The study uses a balanced national scorecard of hospital performance metrics to identify the highest performing cardiovascular service lines in the nation.
“Mercy Iowa City is a top performer for both health care quality and patient satisfaction,” Dr. John Mehegan, Medical Director Cardiovascular Services, stated in a press release. “We are honored that our cardiovascular physicians, nurses and staff have been recognized for our commitment to quality. This distinction reflects the culture of excellence at Mercy Iowa City.”
Mercy has 234 acute care beds, 25 private rooms for outpatient surgery, 26 bed nursery with a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, 27 primary and specialty care clinics, a medical staff of 250 physicians representing all major medical specialties and most sub-specialties and 1,420 employees. It was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1873 and became an affiliate of Mercy Health Network in 2017.
The  Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study measures attainment in key performance areas: risk-adjusted inpatient 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. The study has been conducted annually since 1999.
This is the first time Mercy Iowa City has been recognized with this honor. The winning hospitals were announced in the Nov. 6, 2017, edition of Modern Healthcare magazine.
