The NorthShore University HealthSystem Research Institute in Evanston. Photo: Jonathan Hillenbrand, NorthShore University HealthSystem Photograhper / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
NorthShore University HealthSystem, based in Evanston, was named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals for 2013, a distinction that, by the system’s count, it has now earned 16 times. The Evanston Review reported the news in early April.
The list comes from Truven Health Analytics, formerly the health care business of Thomson Reuters. According to the Review’s account, the 16 appearances are more than any other hospital in the country has made in the award’s 20-year history. Truven released that year’s winners on Feb. 25, 2013, and NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, was among those named.
A data-driven ranking
The 100 Top Hospitals program is built on analysis of performance data rather than a reputation survey. Hospitals are grouped with peers of similar size and type, so a large teaching hospital is not measured against a small community one.
That approach is one reason health systems often highlight repeated appearances. Staying on such a list year after year takes sustained results on the underlying measures rather than a single strong year.
NorthShore in Evanston
NorthShore’s flagship, Evanston Hospital, sits on Ridge Avenue, and the system also operates a research institute on the Evanston campus. For a city of Evanston’s size, hosting a health system that turns up regularly on national quality lists is a point of local pride and a significant piece of the local economy.
Truven was formerly part of Thomson Reuters, and the program has long published its findings so that hospital leaders can compare their own results against those of similar institutions.
What the repeat appearances signal
A single listing can reflect a good year. Sixteen listings across two decades suggest that a hospital has kept its measures steady while the standards around it moved.
For patients choosing among hospitals, a list like this is one input among several, along with insurance networks, specialty services and distance from home. Even so, a national record tends to carry weight with the public.
NorthShore’s Evanston base also means the recognition lands close to home. Residents who use Evanston Hospital can point to an independent, data-based measure of the care available in town.
Award details are from the Evanston Review’s report and Truven’s February 2013 announcement.
Margaret Whitfield is the editor of The Evanston Edge and covers local government, development and neighborhoods.
