…the criteria and factors used to rate and rank
To illustrate this article, on what determines the world’s best hospitals – and the criteria and factors used to rate and rank them, I used part of the banner illustrating the Newsweek report on the World's Best Hospitals 2024 (? https://www.newsweek.com/rankings/worlds-best-hospitals-2024? ).
Coming from a medical academic background (having worked as a pediatric surgeon at university teaching hospitals in London, Cape Town and Durban), Benchmarking and Best Practices in the context of hospitals and their “rating”, are issues in which I have had a professional interest.
This interest was intensified once I got involved in Medical Tourism.
I was motivated to publish this LinkedIn article, after once again, noting the keen interest expressed by Medical Tourism industry players, in the annual reporting of ranking of Hospitals, who wonder how the rankings are arrived at.
For example, we have the "World's Best Hospitals", a ranking published annually by Newsweek magazine in collaboration with Statista – which aims to identify and recognize the top hospitals worldwide based on various factors.
The ranking includes a global top 250 list, as well as country-specific rankings for various countries.
The Newsweek magazine ranks hospitals after considering:
- recommendations from medical professionals - a survey of tens of thousands of medical professionals is conducted to gather their recommendations for the best hospitals
- Hospital Quality Metrics (Key Performance Indicators – KPIs) - data on hospital quality metrics, such as patient outcomes, safety, efficiency, mortality rates and infection control
- Patient Experience - patient satisfaction and experience are also considered, measured through surveys and feedback
- Reputation - the hospital's reputation among healthcare professionals and the general public
- Medical Expertise - the hospital's expertise in specific medical specialties and procedures
- Innovation - the hospital's commitment to research, innovation, and the adoption of new medical technologies
- PROMs implementation excellence - the hospital's commitment to using Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) to assess patient outcomes
It's important to note that this ranking is just one of many hospital rankings available.
Some of the others include:
- U.S. News & World Report - this organization ranks hospitals across a variety of specialties and procedures, using a methodology that includes patient outcomes, clinical performance, and reputation
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) - CMS rates hospitals on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, based on factors such as patient experience, mortality rates, and readmission rates
- Leapfrog Group - this organization assigns letter grades (A through F) to hospitals based on their performance on a variety of safety measures, such as preventing infections and reducing errors
Different organizations use different criteria and “weightings” when rating and ranking hospitals. Some organizations focus more on patient outcomes, while others focus more on quality of care or efficiency of care.
the criteria and factors used to rate and rank hospitals
…by different “rating and ranking” organizations
The criteria and factors used to rate and rank hospitals, include:
- Patient Outcomes - this includes mortality rates, readmission rates, and complication rates for various procedures and conditions
- Clinical Performance - this measures the quality of care provided, such as adherence to clinical guidelines, timeliness of care, and accuracy of diagnoses
- Patient Experience - this assesses patient satisfaction with the care they received, including communication with doctors and nurses, responsiveness of staff, and overall comfort and cleanliness of the hospital
- Efficiency and “cost-effectiveness” - this evaluates how well the hospital uses its resources, such as length of stay, wait times, and cost per patient
- Safety - this measures the hospital's infection rates, adverse events, and adherence to safety protocols
- Specialty Care - this assesses the quality of care provided for specific medical conditions or procedures, such as heart surgery, cancer treatment, or maternity care
- Reputation - the hospital's reputation among doctors, patients, and the community
- Accreditation - whether the hospital is accredited by a recognized organization, such as the Joint Commission
- Specialty Services the hospital's expertise in specific areas, such as cardiology, oncology or pediatrics
- Technology - the hospital's use of advanced technology and equipment
- Research - this includes the level of research activity and the number of clinical trials conducted
- Staff Qualifications - the qualifications and experience of the hospital's doctors, nurses, and other staff
