Central Baptist Hospital is among 100 U.S. hospitals recognized by Solucient as having the highest improved patient outcomes and financial performance for a five-year period.

The new study, Solucient’s 100 Top Hospitals, Performance Improvement Leaders, The First Edition, appeared in the March 15 issue of Modern Healthcare magazine. One of 20 recipients in the "Large Community Hospital" category, Central Baptist Hospital is the only hospital in Lexington to receive the designation, and one of only two in Kentucky.

Based on an analysis of overall U.S. hospital improvement rates between 1997 and 2001, the study identifies organizations that have improved across critical measures at a faster rate than other U.S. hospitals. These measures include quality of care, operational efficiency and financial performance.

"This study is a major step forward in objectively measuring the impact a superior management team can have on an organization over time by instilling a culture of change," said Jean Chenoweth, executive director of Solucient's 100 Top Hospitals program. "These hospitals are poised to thrive as the growth of pay for performance and consumerism force change in the industry."

"The introduction of a national comparative assessment of hospital performance improvement is a valuable innovation," said David Foster, Ph.D., vice president of clinical informatics at Solucient. "This will help measure the impact of major industry changes, such as the Balanced Budget Act, on hospital organization-wide performance."

The study scored facilities according to key measures: risk-adjusted mortality and risk adjusted complications, average length of stay, expenses, profitability, percent of outpatient revenue, total asset turnover and coding specificity.