Sarasota Memorial Hospital was honored as one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals, and among the top 40 teaching hospitals, in an annual ranking released today of the very best hospitals and health systems in the country.

In the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals rankings, SMH outperformed thousands of hospitals across the nation on all clinical and operational benchmarks evaluated. Among other study findings, SMH and highest-performing hospitals: • Had lower inpatient mortality (25% fewer deaths than expected, considering patient severity) • Had fewer patient complications (30% fewer complications than expected, considering patient severity) • Delivered care that resulted in fewer hospital-acquired infections (47% fewer HAIs than peer hospitals) • Had lower 30-day mortality and 30-day hospital-wide readmission rates • Sent patients home sooner • Kept inpatient expenses low while still maintaining a healthy financial environment • Scored higher on patient ratings of their overall hospital experience

If all hospitals performed at the benchmark levels achieved by SMH, the study found more than 104,000 additional lives could be saved in-hospital, over 55,000 additional patients could be complication-free and more than 18,600 fewer discharged patients would be readmitted within 30 days of their hospital stay.

This is the sixth year that Sarasota Memorial has been recognized as a top 100 hospital by Fortune/Merative (formerly Watson Health). It also has ranked repeatedly among the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals. Sarasota Memorial CEO David Verinder said the rankings and the record of other top quality and safety designations SMH receives each year is a reflection of the health system’s mission-driven team and ongoing support from the locally elected Sarasota County Public Hospital Board.

“SMH is a vital community asset that has been caring for the Suncoast for nearly a century," Verinder said. "I could not be prouder of our entire team and the unwavering diligence and dedication they have displayed the past few years, and through the decades, to ensure our community receives the highest quality care."

In this year's 100 Top Hospitals study, SMH's teaching program was spotlighted. SMH-Sarasota was listed among the top 3 teaching hospitals in Florida, and top 40 in the nation. Study authors noted that hospitals appearing repeatedly on their Top Hospitals lists share key characteristics that elevate them in the healthcare industry, including a mature culture (and a commitment to maintaining it), nursing excellence, deeply committed leadership, quality-focused hospital boards, an embrace of data and innovative technology (used in a practical manner), and local autonomy within health systems.

The Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals also list incorporates a community health measure into its ranking process to recognize hospital working to promote community health and equity and their contributions to local economic and social progress.

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