Froedtert Hospital, ThedaCare: Recognized by Vizient as 2023 Birnbaum Quality Leadership top performers

MILWAUKEE and NEENAH, Wis. – [October 10, 2023] – Froedtert Hospital and ThedaCare Regional Medical Center–Neenah were recently recognized as top performers nationally in the 2023 Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Ranking by Vizient, Inc. The organizations were individually recognized for demonstrating excellence in delivering high-quality care based on the Vizient Quality and Accountability Study, conducted annually since 2005.

Froedtert Hospital was recognized by Vizient as 2023 Birnbaum Quality Leadership Top Performer in the Comprehensive Academic Medical Center cohort. There were 116 comprehensive academic medical centers in the cohort, and Froedtert Health achieved a top 10 performance ranking.  

ThedaCare Regional Medical Center–Neenah was recognized in the Large, Specialized Complex Care Medical Center cohort. There were 154 large, specialized complex care medical centers in the cohort, and ThedaCare also achieved a top 10 performance ranking.  

The recognitions come as Froedtert Health and ThedaCare have recently approved a definitive agreement to combine the organizations to advance local health care for patients in Wisconsin.

“Quality metrics such as the ones measured through Vizient help our systems monitor progress, allowing dedicated team members to continue preparing and responding to the needs of the communities we serve,” said Imran A. Andrabi, MD, FAAFM, ThedaCare president and CEO. “Our care teams are committed to using a holistic lens for each person to understand their unique needs.” 

The Vizient recognitions also highlight Froedtert Health and ThedaCare’s continued path to creating healthier communities.

“To achieve our vision of healthier communities, both organizations are dedicated to understanding the people in the population, getting ahead of health events before they occur, and providing care immediately when health issues begin,” said Cathy Jacobson, president and CEO of Froedtert Health. “These recognitions demonstrate our commitment to improving the health and well-being of our communities by empowering each person to live their best life, through coordinated and specialized care. Our exceptional staff, physicians and clinicians make all of this possible.” 

This year, 784 participating hospitals were segmented into four cohorts for the Vizient Quality and Accountability Ranking. The ranking measured performance on the quality of patient care in six domains: safety, mortality, effectiveness, efficiency, patient centeredness and equity. The ranking factors in measures from the Vizient Clinical Data Base and includes performance data from the HCAHPS survey and the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network. 

The Vizient Quality and Accountability Ranking helps participating hospitals and health systems understand their performance against their peers and identifies structures and processes associated with high performance in quality and safety across a broad spectrum of patient care activity. 

“Both Froedtert Health and ThedaCare have demonstrated a high level of commitment to the continuous improvement that is necessary to succeed in today’s evolving health care environment,” said David Levine, group senior vice president, advanced analytics and data science for Vizient. “The annual ranking leverages a unique, comprehensive and timely metrics-based methodology to recognize hospitals that achieve results on key measures that define quality patient care and delivery.”  

The recognition period is for work spanning July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.