Becker's Hospital Review is pleased to present its list of 50 Great Health Systems to Know, an accompaniment to the list of 100 Great Hospitals in America | 2015.
The 50 health systems on this list range in size and location but are tied together in their pursuit to provide high-quality healthcare to the communities they serve.
To compile this list, the Becker's editorial team conducted research, choosing systems that have several awards for clinical and general excellence. The team also queried healthcare leaders on what systems stood out to them in terms of overall excellence, and those systems were considered for inclusion.
The following are profiles of 50 great nonprofit health systems in the U.S., listed alphabetically.
Note: This list is not a ranking. Health systems could not pay for inclusion on this list.
Adventist Health System (Altamonte Springs, Fla.). While this system is based in Florida, it has 45 facilities spanning 10 states with nearly 8,100 licensed beds. It was established in 1973 to support and strengthen the Seventh-day Adventist healthcare organizations in the region.
The system employs more than 74,000 people in its hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies and headquarters. Adventist is a four-time recipient of the Gallup Great Workplace Award, recognizing the system's ability to create an engaged workplace culture.
In April, Adventist received three awards from Heart of Florida United Way — one was the Chairman's Award for exceeding volunteer, leadership and financial expectations, another was the Community Champion Award for using best practices to increase donor participation and the other was for Don Jernigan, the system's president and CEO, who received the Executive Champion Award.
Advocate Health Care (Downers Grove, Ill.). Advocate, a faith-based, nonprofit health system based in the Chicago suburbs, is the largest health system in Illinois. The system was formed in 1995 by a merger between Evangelical Health Systems Corp. and Lutheran General HealthSystem, which have histories dating back to 1906 and 1897, respectively. Now 20 years old, Advocate offers more than 250 care sites, including 12 acute-care hospitals. It also boasts the state's largest integrated children's network.
The system is soon to grow even larger, as it is planning a merger with Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University Health System. The merger is still under FTC review. If approved, it would form a 16-hospital system called Advocate NorthShore Health Partners.
Advocate is widely respected for care quality, as Truven Health Analytics named it as one of its 15 Top Health Systems in 2014, and many of its hospitals make Truven's list of 100 Top Hospitals and are Magnet-recognized for nursing excellence.
Asante (Medford, Ore.). Asante is a three-hospital, community-led health system governed by a board of directors comprised of local volunteers and physicians. As the largest healthcare provider in nine counties, Asante provides comprehensive medical care to more than 580,000 people throughout southern Oregon and northern California.
Asante and the communities it serves are increasingly working toward environmental sustainability. The system pursues recycling and energy-saving policies whenever possible — from encouraging employees on an individual level to large-scale construction projects. Asante provides carpooling services and incentives to employees, is reducing plastic and paper use in food service and uses green-certified cleaning products wherever possible.
Several of Asante's capital investments are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, such as the NICU Phase I, II and III, the Creekside Laboratory and the Women's Center, among others. Additionally, Truven Health Analytics named Asante to its 2015 list of 15 Top Health Systems.
Ascension (St. Louis). In the years since its creation in 1999, Ascension has become the largest Catholic and nonprofit health system in the nation. The system employs more than 153,000 people in 23 states and the District of Columbia.
Ascension's health ministries — health systems that are members of Ascension — are spread throughout the country and have made major strides in the area of quality improvement recently. For example, Ascension's members decreased the number of early elective deliveries that are not medically indicated by 80 percent in 2014. Additionally, across all health ministries, readmissions dropped 16 percent, or about 5,500 patients, in 2014. St. Vincent Health in Indianapolis, part of Ascension, was named to Truven Health Analytic's 15 Top Health Systems list in 2015.
Ascension has a mission to serve people living in poverty and other vulnerable persons, and in fiscal year 2014 it lived up to that mission: The health ministries of the system provided $1.8 billion worth of care to people living in poverty and other community benefits. The system's employees are also committed to helping others, and in fiscal year 2014 associates contributed $2.3 million to their local United Way campaigns.
Allina Health (Minneapolis). This 13-hospital nonprofit system has more than 26,000 employees and 5,000 associated and employed physicians providing care to the 108,795 patients admitted to its hospitals and 1.3 million outpatient admissions each year. Allina Health has annual net operating revenue of $3.6 billion.
In 2015, for the first time, Allina Health was named one of the 15 Top Health Systems in the nation by Truven Health Analytics. Additionally, two of Allina's hospitals — Abbott Northwestern and Mercy — were named the No. 1 and No. 2 hospitals in the Twin Cities by U.S. News & World Report for 2014-15, and four of the system's hospitals landed on Truven's 100 Top Hospitals list in 2015.
The system is committed to giving back to the community it serves. One of its programs — the Phillips Eye Institute's Early Youth Eyecare Community Initiative — provides vision screening to nearly 28,000 children annually in Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools. The Phillips Eye Institute is part of Allina Health, and the program was recently named a Program of Excellence through the Hospital Charitable Services Award.
Aurora Health Care (Milwaukee). This nonprofit system encompasses 15 hospitals, 159 clinic sites and 70 retail pharmacies located throughout eastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois. The system got its start in 1984 when St. Luke's Medical Center and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Milwaukee merged to become St. Luke's Samaritan Health Care. Aurora Health Care took on its current name in 1987.
Now, the system sees more than 1.2 million unique patients each year and produces about $4.1 billion in annual revenue. Aurora has 30,000 caregivers, including 1,500 employed physicians, and also boasts the largest homecare organization in Wisconsin.
Some of Aurora's hospitals have been ranked among the best in the nation. Aurora Medical Center in Oshkosh and Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay — a joint venture of Aurora Health Care and BayCare Clinic, a physician-owned specialty-care clinic — appeared on Truven Health Analytics' list of 100 Top Hospitals in 2015.
Banner Health (Phoenix). Banner Health operates 28 hospitals and other clinics in seven states, from Alaska to Arizona. This year, the system underwent historic growth when it completed a merger with the University of Arizona Health Network in Tucson, Ariz., to form Banner-University Medicine. Banner-University Medicine is the new academic medicine division of Banner Health that includes three academic medical centers.
Banner Health has been named one of the nation's 15 Top Health Systems three times, in 2013, 2012 and 2009. Twenty-one of its hospitals have achieved HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 for EHR use.
The system boasts a 55-bed simulation medical center, the largest "virtual hospital" of its kind. This center is a space for Banner clinicians to enhance their skills and trainings. Banner is also well-known for the Alzheimer's disease research conducted by the Banner Alzheimer's Institute and the Banner Sun Health Research Institute. This research resulted in two grants of nearly $50 million to sustain this research into Alzheimer's disease prevention.
Baylor Scott & White Health (Dallas). Baylor Scott & White Health is a relative new-comer in the world of health systems, since it formed in October 2013 from a merger of Dallas-based Baylor Health Care System and Temple, Texas-based Scott & White Healthcare. However, the system — which is the largest nonprofit health system in the state — has risen to prominence despite the fact that it is just over one year old.
For example, the 46-hospital system created the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance, a 3,700-physician network that is one of the largest accountable care organizations in the nation. It was also named a Mega Deal of the Year by D Magazine in the 2014 Mergers & Acquisitions Awards. By integrating two health systems' functions, Baylor Scott & White has been able to achieve $39 million in efficiencies.
In March, the nonprofit system announced a partnership with for-profit Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare at five Texas hospitals to focus on integrated, value-based care delivery. The two systems will jointly own five organizations, with Baylor Scott & White holding the majority ownership. This wasn't the first partnership between the two systems — their respective ACOs affiliated in February to increase access to care at four hospitals, six outpatient centers and among more than 170 physicians.
BJC HealthCare (St. Louis). BJC HealthCare includes 12 hospitals, multiple community health locations, net revenues of $4 billion and more than 26,500 employees today, but it started a lot smaller. The system was formed in 1993 after a merger of Barnes-Jewish, an urban academic medical center affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine, and Christian Health Services, a suburban community hospital network.
With 805 staffed beds and 9,190 employees, BJC HealthCare's largest hospital is Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Barnes-Jewish is Magnet recognized for nursing excellence and was ranked as the No. 1 hospital in the St. Louis metro area and in Missouri in U.S. News & World Report's 2014-15 rankings. Two other system hospitals — Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, Mo., and St. Louis Children's Hospital — are also Magnet recognized.
In addition to its excellent hospitals, BJC HealthCare also has a Medicare accountable care organization known as BJC ACO as well as several other entities, including BJC Behavioral Health, BJC Corporate Health Services, BJC Home Care Services and BJC Medical Group, which employs more than 300 physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants who serve patients in nearly 100 practice locations.
Carilion Clinic (Roanoke, Va.). Formerly known as Carilion Health System, Carilion Clinic is a nonprofit system providing care to nearly 1 million Virginians. The $1.5 billion integrated system includes a multispecialty physician group, eight hospitals, the Jefferson College of Health Sciences and a medical school joint venture with Blacksburg-based Virginia Tech.
The system and its components have received national recognition for excellence. For instance, some of its hospitals have Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for nursing excellence, and Carilion Roanoke (Va.) Memorial Hospital has been ranked in the top 10 hospitals in the state by U.S. News & World Report.
In 2014, Carilion Clinic and Virginia Tech made history when the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine's charter class earned their diplomas after four years of education and research. Now, 11 of the 40 members of the graduating class are pursuing their residency training at Carilion.
Carolinas HealthCare System (Charlotte, N.C.). Carolinas HealthCare System boasts more than 900 care sites, including dozens of hospitals, in North and South Carolina, but it had humble beginnings as it grew out of a community hospital founded in 1940. It has since evolved into a comprehensive health system with more than 7,460 licensed beds and an annual budget exceeding $7.7 billion. It is led by Michael Tarwater, who has held the CEO position since 2002.
Carolinas is one of the nation's leaders when it comes to using data pulled from its ambulatory EHR. In recognition of that fact, the system received the HIMSS Stage 7 Ambulatory Award in 2015 for 230 of its clinic locations. Just 6.2 percent of ambulatory clinics across the country have received this award.
Additionally, the system and its components have received many major awards recognizing quality of care and general excellence. For example, Carolinas was honored by the North Carolina Hospital Association for its commitment to quality improvement and patient safety as part of its participation in CMS' Hospital Engagement Network initiative. The system has also been recognized nationally for its workplace engagement — the system made Forbes list of America's 500 best employers, clocking in at No. 89.
Catholic Health Initiatives (Englewood, Colo.). Formed in 1996, CHI is a nonprofit, faith-based system made after the consolidation of four Catholic health systems, including Catholic Health Corp., Franciscan Health System and Sisters of Charity Health Care Systems. Now one of the nation's largest health systems, CHI operates in 19 states and has 105 hospitals, including four academic health centers or major teaching hospitals as well as 30 critical access hospitals.
Many of the hospitals and systems that comprise CHI have received national recognition of excellence. For example, Alegent Creighton Health in Omaha, Neb., which is part of CHI, was named one of the 2015 15 Top Health Systems by Truven Health Analytics.
The system itself is not the only thing receiving major awards: CHI's CEO, Kevin Lofton, received the American College of Healthcare Executives' Gold Medal Award in 2015. The Gold Medal Award is the highest annual honor given by ACHE to healthcare executives and recognizes those who "best exemplify leadership" and "continually contribute to the improvement of healthcare" even beyond the organizations they lead.
Cleveland Clinic. While Cleveland Clinic is well-known for its flagship facility in Ohio, its reach extends across the country and even around the world, with Cleveland Clinic Canada in Toronto and the new Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, which started accepting patients this year. The system has outposts in Weston, Fla., and Las Vegas, as well as eight community hospitals throughout Ohio. Additionally, Cleveland Clinic boasts a network of outpatient facilities in northern Ohio.
All told, the system has 4,450 beds, with more than 1,400 of those located on the Cleveland Clinic main campus. It has more than 3,000 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 11,000 nurses.
Cleveland Clinic was named No. 2 on the DiversityInc Top 5 Hospitals and Health Systems for Diversity in 2015, meaning it scored highly on diversity management in numerous areas. It was also named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere for the fifth time in the last seven years in 2015. It was just one of five hospitals to make the list.
Dignity Health (San Francisco). Dignity Health, a faith-based system that aims to meet patients' physical, mental and spiritual needs, was founded in 1986. Today, it has more than 60,000 caregivers and staff located in 21 states. It is the fifth-largest system in the U.S. and the largest hospital provider in California.
Dignity Health is committed to improving patient safety, and in a two-year span it reduced hospital-acquired infections and readmissions positively affecting more than 10,000 patients and saving about $30 million.
With its headquarters in San Francisco, Dignity Health has partnered with local sports teams as their official healthcare provider. The system's caregivers provide medical services for the San Francisco Giants and fans who visit AT&T Park as well as for the San Francisco 49ers and fans visiting Levi's Stadium.
Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee). The regional healthcare network of Froedtert has three hospitals and more than 25 locations. The three hospitals have 781 staffed beds and 40,000 annual admissions. The system's flagship hospital, Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, is one of fewer than 120 academic medical centers in the U.S. and one of just two in Wisconsin, made capable by the system's partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin.
In 2015, collectively, the three hospitals that make up Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin were recognized as one of the top 20 medium size health systems in the nation by Truven Health Analytics. Furthermore, Froedtert Hospital was named the No. 1 hospital in Milwaukee by U.S. News & World Report for 2014-15 and was also named to Truven's 100 Top Hospitals list in 2015.
The system is also a great place to work for its employees, as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has named Froedtert as a Top Workplace for five consecutive years. Additionally, in November 2014, two members of the Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin health network were recognized as Leaders in LGBT Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
Geisinger Health System (Danville, Pa.). Geisinger is one of the nation's largest rural health services organizations, serving more than 2.6 million residents in 48 counties in central and northeast Pennsylvania. Its history dates back to 1915, when a wagon-maker built a hospital in Danville. The system is named after Abigail Geisinger, the daughter of said wagon-maker.
Geisinger Health System is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The physician-led system has grown to include more than 21,000 employees — including 1,200 employed physicians — eight hospital campuses and two research centers. It also boasts a health plan. David Feinberg, MD, was appointed as the system's sixth CEO in February, effective May 1. Dr. Feinberg replaced Glenn Steele, MD, PhD, who had led the system since 2001.
Geisinger leaders developed ProvenCare as a system to improve healthcare outcomes and decrease costs. ProvenCare is a roadmap of safety and consistency for certain medical procedures and services. For instance, Geisinger's ProvenCare orthopedic protocols have resulted in a 50 percent decrease in readmissions and a 10 percent reduction in length of stay for total hip replacements.
Gundersen Health System (La Crosse, Wis.). In 1995, Gundersen Clinic and Lutheran Hospital-La Crosse formed Gundersen Lutheran, which was renamed Gundersen Health System in 2013. The origins of Gundersen date back to the 19th century and Adolf Gundersen, a physician trained in Europe and the system's namesake. Dr. Gundersen set a national precedent in allowing hospitals to set their own criteria for membership on medical staffs.
Today, 325-bed Gundersen Health System is comprised of 7,621 employees including 513 physicians across 27 medical clinics, three worksite clinics, two express care clinics and eight behavioral health clinics, among other facilities.
In 2014, Gundersen was one of 260 organizations to receive Healthgrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence. Healthgrades also named Gundersen to its list of America's 50 Best Hospitals in 2014 and awarded the system its 2014 Outstanding Patient Experience Award for the seventh consecutive year. Additionally, the system has been recognized for its innovation in sustainability, as Practice Greenhealth awarded Gundersen Health System the Top 25 Environmental Excellence Award in 2015.
Henry Ford Health System (Detroit). This nonprofit corporation, managed by CEO Nancy M. Schlichting, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Its roots stretch back to 1915 when it was founded by auto pioneer Henry Ford, who saw the importance of having a hospital for the working man. HFHS has grown now to include five hospitals, a medical group and a physician network.
HFHS provides health insurance through the Health Alliance Plan, as well as acute, specialty, primary and preventive care services. More than 23,000 people worked for HFHS in 2013, with more than 8,500 of them based in Detroit.
In 2011, the system received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award — the highest award given annually by the White House for performance excellence through innovation, improvement and leadership. HFHS earned the honor for numerous reasons, including for innovating strategies that helped reduce unintended patient harm and establish a "zero-defect, no-excuses" approach to healthcare outcomes.
Houston Methodist. Houston Methodist is made up of seven hospitals serving Houston and the surrounding area. The system's flagship hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, is the No. 1 hospital in Texas, according to U.S. News & World Report's rankings for 2014-15. Healthgrades also named the hospital among America's Best Hospitals for 2015.
But the flagship hospital isn't the only award-winning hospital within the system. Houston Methodist Sugar Land (Texas) Hospital and Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital in Houston were both named as two of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics for 2015.
The system has more than 17,000 employees, and they enjoy coming to work — Houston Methodist has been on Fortune magazine's list of 100 Best Companies to Work For each year since 2006. In 2015, it was one of only four Houston companies to make the list. Houston Methodist also boasts more than 4,500 physicians and a physician organization with 385 physicians.
Intermountain Healthcare (Salt Lake City). Nonprofit Intermountain Healthcare is the largest healthcare provider in the Intermountain West, with more than 35,000 employees, 22 hospitals, 185 clinics and 1,400 multispecialty physicians serving communities across Utah and southeastern Idaho.
The system was first established in 1975 when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated its then 15-hospital system to its surrounding communities. Intermountain was created as a secular nonprofit organization to administer those hospitals.
Intermountain Healthcare is a four-time winner of Gallup's Great Workplace Award. In 2015, it was one of 40 companies worldwide and the only organization in Utah to earn the award. Forbes named Intermountain one of America's Best Employers among large U.S. companies in 2015, and the system was awarded with Microsoft's Health Innovation Award for developing and implementing an infrastructure and technology platform that enables communication and collaboration among caregivers across different locations.
Johns Hopkins Medicine (Baltimore). Johns Hopkins Medicine is a $7 billion integrated global health enterprise and one of the leading healthcare systems in the U.S. Additionally, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is No. 3 in the U.S. for research and No. 29 for primary care, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2014-2015 rankings.
Johns Hopkins Hospital first opened its doors in 1889. Four years later, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine was born, and with it a new era for medical schools marked by rigid entrance requirements for medical students, a dramatically upgraded curriculum with an emphasis on the scientific method, the incorporations of bedside teaching and laboratory research as a part of instruction and the integration of the medical school with the hospital through joint appointments.
Today, Johns Hopkins Medicine operates six academic and community hospitals, four suburban healthcare and surgery centers and 39 primary and specialty care outpatient sites.
U.S. News & World Report has ranked the Johns Hopkins Hospital as No. 1 in America 22 times out of the survey's 25-year history, most recently in 2013. In its 2014-15 rankings, U.S. News & World Report named Johns Hopkins Hospital No. 1 in Maryland and No. 3 in the U.S. In 2014, HomeCare Elite named Johns Hopkins Home Care Group a top agency for home health agencies. Johns Hopkins Hospital and Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., were each named a Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality for meeting all of the core criteria for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patient-centered care in the Human Rights Campaign's Healthcare Equality Index.
Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, Calif.). Beginning at the height of the Great Depression, Kaiser Permanente started with a single surgeon and a 12-bed hospital in the Mojave Dessert. Kaiser Permanente was born out of industrial healthcare programs for construction, shipyard and steel mill workers for the Kaiser industrial companies during the late 1930s and 1940s and became open to the public in 1945.
Since then, Kaiser Permanente has shown remarkable growth. Today, it is one of the nation's largest nonprofit health plans, serving approximately 9.6 million members. Kaiser Permanente has 38 hospitals, 618 medical offices, approximately 17,425 physicians across all specialties, roughly 48,285 nurses and 174,415 employees overall.
Kaiser Permanente has been recognized for numerous achievements so far in 2015. DiversityInc named Kaiser No. 2 on its 15th annual Top 50 Companies for Diversity list, marking the seventh consecutive year Kaiser has appeared among the Top 10. Kaiser received HIMSS Analytics' Stage 7 Ambulatory Award for 350 of its clinics, and Forbes named Kaiser as one of America's Best Employers in 2015. Additionally, U.S. News & World Report named 19 Kaiser Permanente hospitals high-performing for various specialties in its 2014-15 rankings.
Mayo Clinic System (Rochester, Minn.). The Mayo Clinic System operates hospitals in Arizona and Florida, in addition to its original campus in Rochester. The Rochester flagship hospital was named the No. 1 hospital in the country by U.S. News & World Report in its 2014-15 rankings. Mayo Clinic has ranked at or near the top of the Honor Roll since U.S. News & World Report began its Best Hospital rankings.
The system's prominence as a top academic medical institution in the U.S. developed gradually from the medical practice of William Worrall Mayo, MD, a pioneer physician who settled in Rochester in 1863. In 1883 and 1888, his two sons joined his practice. As the demand for healthcare increased, other physicians and science researchers joined them in the world's first private integrated group practice. At the time, the Mayo physicians were perceived as unconventional for taking a team-based approach to medicine, but their method proved successful.
Today, Mayo Clinic's staff is comprised of 4,200 physicians and scientists, 2,400 residents, fellows and others and 52,900 allied health staff. In 2014, 1.3 million people from all 50 states and 143 countries sought care at a Mayo Clinic facility.
For the fourth consecutive year in 2015, Mayo Clinic was named a DiversityInc Top 5 Hospital System based on analysis of its diversity and inclusion practices and policies.
MedStar Health (Columbia, Md.). MedStar Health, the largest healthcare provider in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, was established in 1854 with the opening of MedStar Union Memorial Hospital. Today, MedStar operates 10 hospitals, the MedStar Health Research Institute and the MedStar Medical Group in addition to other services and programs.
The MedStar Health team includes 1,700 employed physicians, 6,000 affiliated physicians, 8,400 nurses and 1,070 residents and fellows. MedStar Health has one of the largest graduate medical education programs in the country, training more than 1,000 medical residents annually, and is the medical education and clinical partner of Georgetown University.
Committed to its mission to serve its patients, those who care for them and its communities, MedStar has established itself as a fixture in community service and philanthropy. In 2014, MedStar received $38 million in philanthropic support.
MemorialCare Health System (Fountain Valley, Calif.). MemorialCare has grown rapidly as a system recently — in just 10 years, MemorialCare has gone from five hospitals with revenues of just more than $1 billion to 200 locations including six hospitals with revenues of just over $2 billion and total assets of $3 billion. In addition to the system's hospitals, MemorialCare has two medical groups, a health plan and many outpatient health, imaging and surgery centers in Orange and Las Angeles counties.
In 2014, for the fourth consecutive year, the system was received the Gallup Great Workplace Award, recognizing the fact that the system has a highly engaged workforce.
Also last year, MemorialCare was part of a joint venture with California insurer Anthem Blue Cross and six other systems in the state to create a 15-hospital network called Vivity. The partnership is the first of its kind in the nation between an insurer and seven competing hospital systems. "This unprecedented partnership was created to provide employers and consumers with a unique healthcare offering," Barry Arbuckle, PhD, president and CEO of MemorialCare Health System, said. "Anthem Blue Cross Vivity provides choice, convenience and affordable access to exceptional physicians and hospitals throughout our region. MemorialCare is pleased to be part of this high value, innovative plan."
Mercy (Chesterfield, Mo.). Mercy was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1986 and is the fifth largest Catholic healthcare system in the U.S. However, its history dates back to the 1800s when the Sisters of Mercy founder opened the first House of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland. Today, the system includes 35 acute-care hospitals and 11 specialty hospitals (heart, children's, rehab and orthopedic facilities), not to mention its nearly 700 clinics and outpatient facilities. Mercy has locations in four states: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.
The system was placed on Forbes' list of America's 500 Best Employers this year, clocking in at No. 122 across all industries. The system has 40,000 employees. But Mercy's accolades don't stop at its record as an employer; it was named a 2014 Most Wired healthcare organization by the American Hospital Association, and it was named a top healthcare supply chain operation in the world, second overall to Cardinal Health.
When a devastating tornado hit Joplin, Mo., in 2011, it destroyed St. Johns Hospital, a Mercy facility. Nearly four years later, Mercy opened a new facility in Joplin. The hospital is now tornado-resistant, with a chapel, an emergency department with 34 rooms and a design that places the operating rooms next to the emergency department.
Methodist Health System (Dallas). Methodist is one of North Texas' oldest nonprofit health systems — its founders built Dallas Methodist Hospital in 1927. By the 1960s, the hospital grew from 100 beds to 420 beds. As of 2013, the system has grown to include more than 1,160 licensed beds. The system is affiliated by covenant with the North Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church.
Methodist received the Texas Award for Performance Excellence from the Quality Texas Foundation in 2015. The TAPE award establishes the system as a consistent leader in quality care and a role model for having sustained performance excellence. Methodist is also a great place to work — it was named among Dallas Business Journal's Healthiest Employers in North Texas this year and was recognized as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite by the American Heart Association.
The system's president and CEO has also received major recognitions recently. Stephen Mansfield, PhD, was named Outstanding Healthcare Executive of the Year by D Magazine in 2014. Dr. Mansfield has led the system since 2006.
Mission Health (Asheville, N.C.). Mission Health is North Carolina's sixth-largest health system and the region's only nonprofit independent community hospital system managed exclusively in North Carolina. But the system has been recognized for excellence outside of its state: Mission Health has been named one of Truven Health Analytics' 15 Top Health Systems every year from 2012 to 2015.
Mission Health was formed in 1996 when two hospitals — St. Joseph's Hospital and Memorial Mission Medical Center — started an organizational partnership. They later merged in 1998. Today, the system boasts six hospitals, many outpatient and surgery centers, post-acute care provider CarePartners and long-term acute-care provider Asheville Specialty Hospital. It has a medical staff of more than 1,000 physicians and a workforce nearly 10,000 strong, including more than 1,800 registered nurses.
Mission Health is committed to making healthcare more patient-centered. For instance, the system held the inaugural Humonizing Healthcare Technologies conference in 2014 in partnership with Rock Health and Vocera. The system is also involved in an accountable care organization.
Mount Sinai Health System (New York City). Mount Sinai Health System is fairly new in the industry, as it was formed in 2013 by the combination of The Mount Sinai Medical Center and Continuum Health Partners. However, its history dates back to the mid 1800s, as The Mount Sinai Hospital was chartered in 1852 and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai was chartered in 1820.
Today, the system boasts a total of 3,535 beds and bills itself as the largest health system in the New York state. It includes seven member hospitals, 12 ambulatory surgical centers, 10 free-standing ambulatory surgical centers that are minority owned and more than 200 community locations where health system physicians treat patients. The system also includes the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Mount Sinai Health System has embraced the principles of diversity and inclusion as drivers of excellence. Gary Butts, MD, leads the charge at the system as its chief diversity and inclusion officer, and his and the system's work in this area has gained recognition: DiversityInc named Mount Sinai Health System as one of the Top 5 Hospitals and Health Systems for 2015 based on performance in four areas of diversity management: talent pipeline, equitable talent development, CEO/leadership commitment and supplier diversity.
North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System (Great Neck, N.Y.). North Shore-LIJ is the largest healthcare provider in the New York metropolitan area and one of the largest health systems in the nation. It was formed in 1997 from the merger of North Shore Health System and Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
The system has 17 hospitals, including five major tertiary teaching hospitals, three long-term care facilities, home care services, hospice, ambulance providers and a network of approximately 400 ambulatory sites. North Shore-LIJ clinicians care for more than 282,000 inpatients, perform more than 190,000 surgical procedures, deliver 27,300 babies and provide care for approximately 645,000 emergency department visits every year. The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, established in 1999, ranks in the top seventh percentile for research support to organizations from the National Institutes of Health.
Michael J. Dowling, president and CEO, has led North Shore-LIJ since 2002. Under his leadership, the system has gained recognition for numerous achievements, including in culture and the community. In 2014, eight North Shore-LIJ facilities were named Leaders in LGBT Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
NorthShore University Health System (Evanston, Ill.). A fully integrated healthcare delivery system, NorthShore includes four hospitals in the Chicago suburbs of Evanston, Glenbrook, Highland Park and Skokie, and is the principle teaching affiliate for the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. NorthShore employs roughly 9,700 people, and its nonprofit faculty group practice, NorthShore Medical Group, has more than 800 physicians.
With a history dating back to 1891 with the formation of Evanston Hospital, NorthShore has not stopped evolving and growing. For instance, it created the NorthShore Research Institute in October 1996 to house its research activities. Today, it has roughly 200 externally funded research faculty who work on more than 1,000 active research protocols. Additionally, in 2003, NorthShore Foundation was created and is dedicated to attracting and stewarding philanthropy to support the system's mission. The system has also grown to include NorthShore Home and Hospice Services, a hospital-based, nonprofit agency offering home and hospice care.
Today, the system has not lost its penchant for growth. NorthShore is currently preparing to merge with Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care. The merger is still under Federal Trade Commission review. If approved, it would form a 16-hospital system called Advocate NorthShore Health Partners.
Northwestern Memorial HealthCare (Chicago). Northwestern Memorial HealthCare is an academic health system with entities that operate as Northwestern Medicine. NMHC as it is today was created from a September 2014 merger between the system and Winfield, Ill.-based Cadence Health. Today, the system has more than 60 care sites, including four award-winning hospitals in the Chicagoland area: Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest (Ill.) Hospital, Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva and Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
Northwestern Medicine is the collaboration between NMHC and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. It encompasses the research, teaching and patient care services of the academic health system.
In addition to patient care, NMHC also includes the Northwestern Memorial Insurance Company, offering professional and general liability coverage to the hospital and its affiliates; the Northwestern HealthCare Corporation, which contracts with managed care payers; and the Northwestern Memorial Foundation. Additionally, Cadence Health ACO, which is now part of Northwestern Medicine, was chosen as a Medicare Shared Savings Program accountable care organization in January. The ACO covers about 18,000 beneficiaries.
Novant Health (Winston-Salem, N.C.). The Novant Health System was formed July 1, 1997, through the merger of Carolina Medicorp of Winston-Salem, N.C., and Presbyterian Health Services of Charlotte, but its roots reach back to the late 19th century. Twin City Hospital — what would later become Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center — opened in Winston-Salem in 1891.
Today, nonprofit integrated Novant Health has 15 medical centers with a staff of 24,000 employees and physician partners across North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia. It includes 1,123 physicians in 343 clinic locations in addition to numerous outpatient surgery centers, medical plazas, rehabilitation programs, diagnostic imaging centers and community health outreach programs.
In recent years, Novant Health has been recognized for various achievements, including The Joint Commission's Ernest A. Codman Award for reducing medical complications and improving safety, VHA's President's Award for improving quality and reaching clinical excellence and the President's Award from Professional Research Consultants for customer service excellence.
Ochsner Health System (New Orleans, La.). Alton Ochsner and four colleagues opened the first multi-specialty group practice in New Orleans in 1942. Since then, Ochsner has grown into the largest nonprofit healthcare system in the region, comprised of eight hospitals and more than 38 neighborhood health centers.
Ochsner is regarded as a national leader in medical research with more than 300 ongoing research trials and 200 annual publications in medical literature. With more than 200 Ochsner-sponsored medical residents, more than 300 medical residents from affiliated residency programs, more than 600 medical students and 400 allied health students annually, Ochsner is one of the largest non-university physician training centers.
Ochsner Health System has been recognized as a Best Place to Work each year from 2005 to 2014 by CityBusiness. Additionally, using combined quality metrics from both Ochsner Medical Center and Ochsner Medical Center-West Bank Campus, CareChex named the two facilities No. 2 in the U.S. and No. 1 in Louisiana in Overall Hospital Care in its 2015 hospital ratings. Ochsner Medical Center-Baton Rouge received the Healthgrades 2015 Patient Safety Excellence Award.
OhioHealth (Columbus). Nonprofit, faith-based OhioHealth has been serving patients in Columbus and surrounding regions since 1891. Today, the system includes multiple hospitals, medical clinics and outpatient centers in more than 70 locations.
As part of its mission to improve the health of those they serve, OhioHealth's community partnerships department provides prevention and wellness services in Central Ohio, including education and financial support, outreach and education. Additionally, every dollar OhioHealth earns is reinvested into the system to improve the quality of care for patients and families. In addition to OhioHealth's community benefit, the system invests in research, innovation and technology; engages in philanthropy to enhance healthcare programs and services; and subsidizes essential community health services.
OhioHealth has received numerous awards in clinical excellence and employee satisfaction. In 2015, Truven Health Analytics named OhioHealth Riverside Methodist, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital in Columbus and OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital in Dublin to its list of the 100 Top Hospitals in the U.S. Additionally, Truven has named OhioHealth to its list of 15 Top Health Systems six times, most recently this year. For the ninth consecutive year, in 2015, Fortune named OhioHealth to its list of 100 Best Companies to Work For.
Partners HealthCare (Boston). Partners HealthCare was founded by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital in 1994. Now, the system includes community and specialty hospitals, a managed care organization, a physician network, community health centers and home care services. Many of its hospitals are affiliated with Harvard Medical School.
Partners has made sustainability one of its top priorities in recent years. For instance, its master energy plan called for reducing overall energy consumption at its hospitals and facilities by 25 percent by 2013. Its commitment to sustainability has resulted in national recognition: Last year, the system received a 2014 Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Award.
Additionally, Partners is one of the World's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Health Care, according to Fast Company. Partners was named to the 2014 list for "answering the call for urgently needed medical research" and for investing in the field of personalized medicine.
Premier Health Partners (Dayton, Ohio). Premier Health has four member hospitals across West Central Ohio, including Atrium Medical Center in Middletown, Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton, Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Miami Valley Hospital South in Centerville and Upper Valley Medical Center in Troy.
Approximately 14,000 Premier Health employees care for patients across numerous specialties, as well as in the region's only Level I trauma center, a level IIIB neonatal intensive care unit and the region's only adult burn center. Premier Health Partners highly values diversity among its leadership, employees and patients and strives to create a culture of inclusion.
Premier Health hospitals have been the recipients of many local and national awards in the last several years. For instance, in 2014, the Northeast Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce named Atrium Medical Center Business of the Year, an award given to companies that have made significant contributions to enhance the quality of life for the residents of the Northeast Cincinnati area. Upper Valley Medical Center was awarded the 2014 Miami County Safety Council Group Achievement Award, recognizing efforts to prevent employee accidents and injuries in the workplace.
ProMedica (Toledo, Ohio). A locally owned, nonprofit health system, ProMedica provides healthcare services in 27 counties in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. Its 15,000 employees and nearly 1,900 physicians see more than 4.4 million patients across its 13 hospitals, four ambulatory surgery centers and more than 300 other facilities each year.
ProMedica is the recipient of numerous local, state and national awards and accreditations for clinical excellence, leadership and advocacy. Among other achievements, ProMedica Bay Park Hospital earned Healthgrades' Outstanding Patient Experience Award in 2014, and ProMedica Defiance Regional Hospital was named to WomenCertified's list of America's Best Hospitals for Patient Experience in Obstetrics in 2014. In 2015, ProMedica Toledo Children's Hospital was named a Healthgrades' Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence.
Community service is a cornerstone in ProMedica's philosophy. It invests in the health of the residents of the regions it serves by working with dedicated community partners to influence policy and provide preventive medicine, health education, healthy food assistance and financial support to those in need. One such partner is the ProMedica Advocacy Fund of the Toledo Community Foundation, which provides financial grants to nonprofit organizations that affect public health, including those focused on providing food, clothing and housing.
Providence Health & Services (Renton, Wash.). Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart and four Sisters of Providence arrived in Vancouver, Wash., in 1856 to help provide services to new pioneer communities in the region that were struggling to meet basic needs. In the last 159 years, the system has expanded to become the third-largest nonprofit health system in the U.S., serving communities across Alaska, California, Montana, Oregon and Washington with its original mission in mind — to provide compassionate care that is accessible to all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
Providence Health & Services operates 34 hospitals, 475 physician clinics, 22 long-term care facilities, 19 hospice and home health programs and 693 supportive housing units in 14 locations. Across all of these facilities, Providence Health & Services includes more than 76,000 employees.
In 2015, Providence Health & Services was named to Forbes list of America's Best Employers. Additionally, in 2014 the system's nonprofit insurance provider, Providence Health Plan, was awarded five stars — the highest rating — by CMS for its Medicare Advantage plans.
SCL Health (Denver, Colo.). Nonprofit SCL Health is a faith-based organization that operates eight hospitals, four safety-net clinics, one children's mental health center and more than 190 ambulatory service centers across Colorado, Kansas and Montana. SCL Health is comprised of approximately 15,000 full-time associates and more than 500 employed providers.
The origin of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth extends back to a religious community in the 1600s in France where Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac established the Daughters of Charity. These women were dedicated to providing care for the sick and poor, and their mission continues to serve as SCL's foundation today. In 2013, the $2.4 billion health network contributed more than $226 million in community benefit, including services for the poor, health screenings, educational programs, community donations and research.
SCL Health has been recognized for numerous achievements. Most recently, the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp ranked the system as the No. 2 employer in the Denver area. Truven Analytics also named the system to its list of the 15 Top Health Systems for 2015.
Scripps Health (San Diego). Scripps Health is a private, nonprofit integrated health system that includes four acute-care San Diego hospitals on five campuses, home health services, a network of Scripps Clinics and Scripps Coastal outpatient locations across the county and thousands of affiliated physicians who care for patient communities throughout San Diego.
Scripps is an influential health system today, but the organization had modest beginnings. In 1890, Sisters of Mercy, led by Sister Mary Michael Cummings, opened a five-bed dispensary called St. Joseph's. In 1924, Ellen Browning Scripps established the 44-bed Scripps Hospital and Scripps Metabolic Clinic. About two decades later in 1946, the American Medical Association approved Mercy Hospital's graduate medical education program. Subsequent construction projects, acquisitions and affiliations eventually built the system up to its current standing.
Led by President and CEO Chris Van Gorder since 2000, Scripps has earned numerous awards and accolades for high quality and its corporate culture. In 2015, Scripps was ranked as a top 10 nonprofit company for executive women by Working Mother magazine. Fortune has named the system to its list of America's 100 Best Companies to Work For, Top 10 Best Companies for Female Employees and Top 10 Best Paying Companies. Truven Health Analytics listed Scripps Green Hospital among the top 100 U.S. hospitals in the nation. In 2014, U.S. News & World Report named the combined programs of Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla and Scripps Green hospital among the best in the nation for eight specialties.
Sentara Healthcare (Norfolk, Va.). Since its formation 126 years ago, nonprofit Sentara has expanded as an integrated healthcare system throughout Virginia and North Carolina. Currently, the system operates more than 100 care sites, including 12 acute-care hospitals and five medical groups, as well as urgent care centers, advanced imaging centers, home health and hospice, rehab and therapy centers and nursing and assisted living centers. Sentara employs a staff of more than 28,000, including a 3,800-provider medical staff.
Sentara Healthcare's history began in 1888 as a 25-bed "retreat for the sick" in Norfolk. To keep up with the community's growing demand, new hospitals opened, and the system continues to grow today.
In its 2014-15 ranking of America's Best Hospitals, U.S. News & World Report recognized Sentara Norfolk (Va.) General Hospital as the No. 1 hospital in Virginia for the second year in a row with two of its specialty programs nationally ranked. Additionally, U.S. News & World Report awarded four Sentara nursing homes in Virginia and North Carolina the highest possible overall rating of five stars in its sixth annual Best Nursing Homes list. Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center in Woodbridge was honored by the Prince William Chamber of Commerce with the 2014 Business of the Year Award.
Spectrum Health (Grand Rapids, Mich.). Spectrum Health, a nonprofit health system based in West Michigan, is comprised of 11 hospitals and 170 ambulatory and service sites. The system is home to 1,200 physicians and advanced practice providers, including members of the Spectrum Health Medical Group and Priority Health, a health plan with more than 600,000 members.
Spectrum Health serves as West Michigan's largest employer with 21,800 employees. With a strong emphasis on philanthropy, the Spectrum Health Foundation plays a vital role in delivering high quality care to the communities it serves. During fiscal year 2014, Spectrum Health provided $294.6 million in community benefit.
Truven Health Analytics has named Spectrum Health one of the nation's 15 Top Health Systems four times, most recently in 2015. U.S. News & World Report named five of one Spectrum hospital's medical specialties among the nation's best in its Best Hospitals 2014-15 rankings. Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids was also nationally recognized by U.S. News & World Report for its third consecutive year in three specialties in the 2014-15 Best Children's Hospital rankings.
St. Luke's Health System (Boise, Idaho). St. Luke's Health System is the only Idaho-based nonprofit health system. It includes 12 medical and cancer centers, two extensive community health networks — the Idaho Community Health Network and the Southwest Idaho Community Health Network — and a strong rural presence.
St. Luke's Health is committed to improving quality and safety through the development of a culture of safety. It uses medical evidence and data analytics to improve medical practice to ensure patients accessible, equitable and effective care.
The system has been widely recognized for these efforts and its quality achievements. In 2015, St. Luke's Health System received the Healthgrades 2015 Outstanding Patient Experience Award. Truven Health Analytics named St. Luke's as one of the nation's Top 15 Health Systems in 2015. In 2015, Truven named St. Luke's Boise as one of 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in the nation.
Sutter Health (Sacramento). More than 50,000 physicians, employees and volunteers make up Sutter Health's network of care. While the system as it looks today was formed through the January 1996 merger of Sacramento-based Sutter Health and Bay Area-based California Healthcare System, the system has roots that extend back more than 100 years.
Sutter Health's care network extends across 24 hospitals, 33 ambulatory surgery centers and multiple cardiac care, cancer care, behavioral health, trauma and acute rehabilitation centers. In the past 10 years, the system has invested $4.7 billion to build and improve healthcare facilities to continue to meet the needs of the communities it serves. These construction projects led to the creation of sustaining of more than 130,000 construction-related jobs for workers in surrounding communities.
Two of Sutter Health's hospitals were named to Truven Health Analytics' Top 100 Hospitals list in 2015. In 2014, the National Center for Healthcare Leadership named Sutter Health a Top 10 "Bold" healthcare organization for using evidence-based leadership development practices to achieve excellence and improve the quality of healthcare in the communities it serves. The Joint Commission named 13 Sutter Health hospitals Top Performers for Quality in Health Care and HomeCare Elite named eight Sutter Care at Home locations Top Agencies in the nation in 2014. Leapfrog gave 12 Sutter Health hospital campuses "A" grades in its Spring 2015 Hospital Safety Score.
Tanner Health System (Carrollton, Ga.). Tanner Health System is a nonprofit network of hospitals and health centers serving a nine-county area of west Georgia and east Alabama. Tanner's medical staff includes more than 300 physicians across 34 unique medical specialties. The system also operates Tanner Medical Group, one of the Atlanta metro area's largest physician group practices, as rated by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Tanner Health System was created in 1949 when a group of physicians and community leaders joined together to establish Tanner Memorial Hospital. The hospital was named after the late wife and late mother of C.M. Tanner, a Carrollton businessman who donated $75,000 toward the hospital's construction.
Many organizations have recognized the health system for its quality, patient satisfaction and organizational achievements. Truven Health Analytics named Tanner to its 15 Top Health Systems list in 2012, 2014 and 2015. The Joint Commission named three of Tanner's hospitals to its list of Top Performers on Key Quality Measures in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Tanner Medical Center in Carrollton was awarded Press Ganey's Beacon Award in 2014 and its Guardian of Excellence Award in 2013 and 2014 for patient satisfaction, and additionally, the system was named to Atlanta Business Chronicle's list of Top 10 Best Places to Work in 2014.
Trinity Health (Livonia, Mich.). Trinity Health was formed May 2013 when Trinity Health and Newton Square, Penn.-based Catholic Health East combined. Today, Trinity Health is one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic healthcare delivery systems in the U.S. Its patient base extends from coast to coast across 21 states with 85 hospitals, 128 continuing care facilities and home health and hospice programs. Trinity Health sees nearly 2.8 million patient visits per year.
More than 89,000 people, including 3,300 employed physicians, make up Trinity Health's workforce. The system is known for its focus on providing high quality care to the country's aging population. Trinity is the innovator of Senior Emergency Departments, the largest nonprofit provider of home healthcare services in the nation by number of visits. It is also the U.S.' leading provider of Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly, based on the number of available programs.
Trinity Health has demonstrated a strong commitment to investing in the communities it serves, from fostering affordable housing and providing access to low-income families in need of child care services, to urban revitalization and educational scholarships.
UnityPoint Health (Des Moines, Iowa). Iowa Health System, the nation's fifth largest nondenominational health system, became UnityPoint Health in April 2013. The system's foundations began in Des Moines 1993 when Iowa Methodist and Iowa Lutheran merged to become Iowa Health System. At the time, the Iowa Health System was the state's largest provider of hospital and healthcare services. Since that time, UnityPoint Health has expanded and now covers eight major geographic regions in Iowa and Illinois.
Today, UnityPoint Health has more than 900 physicians and providers working in more than 280 UnityPoint Clinics, 29 hospitals in both metropolitan and rural communities as well as its homecare services.
In its 2014-15 rankings, U.S. News & World Report named two UnityPoint Health hospitals among the nation's Best Regional Hospitals. Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines is ranked fourth in Iowa, and Iowa Lutheran Hospital, also in Des Moines, was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of America's high-performing hospitals in five specialties. For the third year in a row in 2014, Hospitals & Health Networks magazine recognized UnityPoint Health as one of the nation's Most Wired Health Systems.
University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center. This four-hospital academic system dates back to 1921, when URMC was founded after the president of the University of Rochester followed through on his idea to build a medical school. The medical school opened in 1925, and Strong Memorial Hospital opened as a 250-bed community hospital that year as well. Today, Strong Memorial Hospital is the flagship of URMC and has 830 beds. The other hospitals in the system include Golisano Children's Hospital and Highland Hospital, both in Rochester, and F.F. Thompson Hospital in Canandaigua, N.Y.
Many of URMC's hospitals have received national recognition for excellence. For instance, both Strong Memorial Hospital and F.F. Thompson Hospital are recognized as Magnet hospitals by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, putting them among just 414 hospitals in the country with such recognition. Additionally, Strong Memorial Hospital was nationally ranked in four specialties in U.S. News & World Report's 2014-15 Best Hospitals rankings and was named the No. 1 hospital in the Rochester metro area.
URMC is not only known for excellence in patient care: The system also innovates and builds new technologies constantly. The University is among the top 10 institutions in the country in royalty revenues for licensed technologies, and more than 20 companies have been formed in the last 10 years with URMC technologies.
UPMC (Pittsburgh). UPMC is the largest nongovernmental employer in Pennsylvania, boasting more than 60,000 employees, including 3,500 employed physicians. The system includes more than 20 hospitals that have more than 5,100 beds, and it also has more than 500 physician offices and outpatient sites. UPMC has close ties with the University of Pittsburgh, which has ranked among the top 10 recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1998.
Not only does UPMC offer high-quality patient care at some of the best hospitals in the nation — U.S. News & World Report ranked UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center as the No. 12 hospital in the U.S. in its 2014-15 Best Hospitals rankings — it also offers healthcare coverage through its insurance division. The Insurance Services Division has grown to more than 2.5 million members in just more than 10 years. It is also billed as the largest behavioral health insurance provider in Pennsylvania and operates two software development companies.
UPMC has become well-known for its integration and innovation prowess. The system has been ranked No. 1 in InformationWeek 500 for innovative creation and use of technology and has been named a Most Wired health system by Hospitals & Health Networks for many years. Additionally, the system has successfully solved problems internally and then commercialized the solution to sell to other companies. Examples of such innovative spirit include Stentor, a picture archiving and communication system sold to Phillips, and Evolent, a company helping provider systems transition to value-based care.
Correction: An earlier version of this list incorrectly listed MemorialCare Health System's initial revenues as $1 million. The figure is actually $1 billion. We regret this error.