Allen Hospital and its parent organization, Iowa Health System, are among the top health care systems in the nation. The ranking is based on clinical quality and efficiency, according to results of Thomson Reuter’s 100 Top Hospitals: Health System Benchmarks Study. All health systems in the United States with two or more short-term, general, non-federal hospitals – a total of 255 – were assessed for the annual study.

“The positive results for Allen and Iowa Health System reveal that our Vision of delivering the Best Outcome for Every Patient Every Time has been embraced across our health system,” Iowa Heath System President and CEO Bill Leaver said. “While the numbers show we are achieving objectives for safety and quality care, it is the sharing of best practices, striving for innovation and the tremendous cooperation among all of our partners that is driving our success.”

The best-performing systems in the study, including Iowa Health System, had 16 percent lower mortality, 18 percent fewer medical complications and 16 percent fewer patient safety incidents. The study used 2007-2009 data from two databases: Medicare Provider Analysis and Review and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare.

Iowa Health System also placed in the top 20 percent in 2009, the first year of the study. To develop its rankings, Thomson Reuters measures mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average length of stay, 30-day mortality rate, 30-day readmission rate, adherence to clinical standards of care and patient survey scores.

“Allen is proud to have made significant contributions to Iowa Health System’s achievement,” said Sara Poling, Allen Interim CEO. “The outstanding care people have become accustomed to from Allen in the Cedar Valley is found at all Iowa Health System hospitals and clinics across the state.”