ASHEVILLE, NC, Dec. 10, 2020 – Mission Hospital was named as one of the nation’s top performing hospitals by Fortune and IBM® Watson Health®. The annual Fortune/IBM 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study spotlights leading short-term, acute care, non-federal US hospitals that treat a broad spectrum of cardiology patients. The study is designed to identify impartial, actionable and attainable benchmarks for hospital and clinical leaders as they work to raise their own organizations’ standards of performance in cardiac care.

“This 2021 award marks the 15th year that Mission Hospital has been recognized by IBM Watson Health as a Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospital,” said William D. Kuehl, MD, FACC, Chief of Cardiology at Mission Hospital.

“In order to receive this distinction year after year our program must not only provide excellent care across the spectrum of cardiovascular disease, but must constantly improve and ‘raise the bar.’ Beginning with first responders and continuing with our nurses, the cardiac catheterization and OR teams and on to cardiac rehabilitation, we search for every opportunity to be better. It is this dedication and attention to detail that sets our program apart and allows us to take great pride in the care we provide to the people of Western North Carolina,” said Kuehl.

This year’s study included 980 US hospitals with cardiovascular service lines. Based on comparisons between the study winners and a peer group of similar hospitals in the study, the winners delivered better outcomes while operating more efficiently and at a lower cost.

Extrapolating the results of this year’s study, if all Medicare inpatients received the same level of care as those treated in the award-winning facilities:

• More than 7,000 additional lives could be saved
• More than 5,000 heart patients could be complication-free
• More than $1.6 billion in inpatient costs could be saved

“With more than 120 million American adults living with some form of cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular services are among the most critical in healthcare,” said Ekta Punwani, 100 Top Hospitals Program Lead, IBM Watson Health. “Hospitals are constantly working to improve clinical and operational performance, and the exceptional organizations on this list demonstrate the standard for top performing cardiac care. Their benchmarks serve as a real-world checkpoint for cardiovascular care across the US.”

Mission Hospital has been serving Western North Carolina since 1885 and is the regional referral center for tertiary and quaternary care. We have 815 beds and house the region’s only dedicated Level II trauma center. Mission Hospital’s brand new, 630,000-square-foot North Tower is the region’s most sophisticated emergency department and critical care facility with 94 emergency beds and 220 acute beds.

The annual report highlights the top-performing cardiovascular hospitals in the US based on a balanced scorecard of publicly available clinical, operational, and patient satisfaction metrics and data.
The winning hospitals were announced in Fortune. For more information, visit https://www.ibm.com/watson-health/services/100-top-hospitals.

ABOUT MISSION HOSPITAL
Mission Hospital, an operating division of HCA Healthcare, located in Asheville, North Carolina, serves as the regional referral center for tertiary and quaternary care in Western North Carolina and the adjoining region. Mission Hospital is licensed for 730 beds and houses the region’s only dedicated Level II trauma center. It also includes Mission Children’s Hospital – the region’s only children’s hospital. For more information, please visit missionhealth.org/mission.

About the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals Study
The Fortune/IBM Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study uses independent and objective research to analyze cardiovascular hospital performance in clinical and operational areas addressing inpatient and 30-day mortality, patient complications, 30-day readmission, average length of stay, 30-day episode-of-care payment, and adjusted cost per case, for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and heart failure (HF) patients. The study has been conducted annually since 1998.

About IBM Watson Health
IBM Watson Health is a data, analytics and technology partner for the health industry. Supported by the innovation of IBM and intelligence of Watson, we are committed to helping build smarter health ecosystems. Through the combination of our deep industry expertise in health, data and analytics, actionable insights, and reputation for security and trust, Watson Health is working together with its clients and partners to help them achieve simpler processes, better care insights, faster breakthroughs and improved experiences for people around the world. Learn more at https://www.ibm.com/watson-health.