Jean Chenoweth Spit Quotations

What we are trying to achieve is to identify those hospitals that perform well under adverse conditions, such as managed care, as opposed to those that perform well under the old system of cost-plus, or Medicare. We look at the quality of care for patients, and their efficiency in adapting to the health care environment.

What we were able to identify over five years is that hospitals that won more than once had a pure focus on continuous quality improvement. What the consumer can depend on with this list is that these hospitals are consistently good performers.

We know that most problems in hospitals are not due to one bad doctor or one bad nurse. Problems come from the systems in the organization. And by looking at the performance of the whole organization, we're able to look at those hospitals that have goals for true performance, leadership that stands behind it ...

I would say, and we have always said, that this should not be used as the only criteria to pick a hospital. But it does say which hospitals are well-aligned.

The 100 Top Hospital award winners continue to demonstrate significant distinctions in provision of value to their communities, as shown by objective differences in clinical outcomes, patient safety, efficient operations and financial stability. These top 100 hospitals react quicker to challenges than their peers, and they focus on all aspects of care, not just one.

This year's study reflects the financial distress hospitals have encountered in the wake of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Despite the difficulties facing them, the 100 top benchmark hospitals have maintained profitability and top clinical performance.