Fletcher Allen Health Care, the University of Vermont College of Medicine’s teaching hospital partner, has been ranked first in providing safe patient care and seventh overall among university hospitals that participate in the annual University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) Quality and Accountability Study, recognized as the most important analysis of its kind. UHC is an alliance of nearly all of the academic medical centers in the United States.

“The elite hospitals are in this study, so being in the top ten means our patients are getting some of the best care in the country right at home,” said John Brumsted, M.D., president and CEO of Fletcher Allen and Fletcher Allen Partners, and professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at UVM. “This achievement is due to the relentless efforts our employees make to provide the best possible care for every patient every single time. I’m particularly proud we’re ranked #1 in delivering safe patient care because it means we have low rates of medical and surgical complications.”

Fletcher Allen’s success in nearly eliminating bloodstream infections associated with “central line” catheters was a key factor in achieving the number-one patient safety ranking and top ten status.

Fletcher Allen also ranked first in “Equity” – providing the same level of care no matter the age, race or income status of the patient – and twelfth in “Effectiveness” which includes readmission rates within 30 days of discharge.

These hospitals received the best overall scores and will receive the UHC’s “Quality Leadership Award”:
1.  NYU Langone Medical Center (New York)
2.  Emory University Hospital (Georgia)
3.  Emory University Hospital Midtown (Georgia)
4.  Mayo Clinic (Minnesota)
5.  Rush University Medical Center (Illinois)
6.   Beaumont Hospital (Michigan)
7.   Fletcher Allen Health Care
8.   Ohio State Univ. Wexner Medical Center
9.   University of Utah Health Care
10. University of Colorado Hospital

“I am proud that this ranking of Fletcher Allen Health Care reflects Vermont values in action,” said Governor Peter Shumlin. ”This is a recognition that its providers and staff are focused every day on delivering truly equitable, high quality care to Vermonters.”

“As UHC Quality Leadership Award recipients, these academic medical centers have proven a commitment to providing outstanding patient care,” said Irene M. Thompson, UHC’s president and chief executive officer. “Their consistent superior performance across all clinical services is a true reflection of organization-wide best practices that have made a difference in health care delivery.”

Leader in Supply Chain Performance
In a separate analysis by UHC, Fletcher Allen ranked second in supply chain efficiency, which involves buying and distributing all clinical and non-clinical items at the lowest possible cost. Among other functions, the supply chain operation makes sure doctors and other providers have the items they need at the time they need them to provide the best care for patients. Over the past five years, Fletcher Allen has produced more than $12 million in direct savings and/or cost avoidance in acquisition of supplies and equipment.

“A top ranking from UHC is the highest recognition a university hospital can achieve and it shows we are focused both on the quality of care and the cost of delivery,” said Charles Miceli, vice president of Supply Chain and Information Systems. “Cost management, enhanced business processes, a unified supply chain organization and meaningful data are the factors that helped us achieve this honor and they will drive our sustained success, powered by the incredible people who make it happen every day.”

“This year’s UHC findings confirm what other studies have shown - Fletcher Allen is a national leader in providing high quality, low cost health care,” said Dr. Brumsted.

Watch a video of Fletcher Allen CEO John Brumsted, M.D., reacting to receiving the UHC Quality Leadership Award.

About the Quality and Accountability Study
UHC’s Quality and Accountability Study is designed to help academic medical centers identify structures and processes associated with high performance in quality and safety across a broad spectrum of patient care activity. The UHC’s conclusions are based on data from the UHC Clinical Data Base/Resource Manager™, the UHC Core Measures Data Base, and the publicly reported Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems.  100 of UHC’s 118 members participated in the 2013 study.

(This press release was written by Mike Noble of Fletcher Allen's marketing and communications office.)