M Health Fairview continually measures and analyzes data and participates in healthcare rankings to ensure we are providing high-quality safe care for our patients. The goal is to improve outcomes, achieve exceptional care standards, ensure compliance with healthcare regulations, and reduce risk for our patients and staff.
Continual Improvement
Our health system strives for constant improvement to provide the best patient care and experience. In our inpatient hospital and ambulatory clinic settings, we have two specific measurements — total performance score and ambulatory care composite.
Total Performance Score
The Vizient total performance score consists of 18 inpatient metrics across M Health Fairview hospitals and is benchmarked against other hospitals and systems nationally. The roll up of these inpatient metrics creates one metric that reflects overall performance compared to our peers and tracks as a percentage. The score is based on mortality, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency.
Ambulatory Care Composite
The ambulatory care composite (ACC) is an ambulatory metric made up 19 measures that helps our health system evaluate quality performance in terms of population health such as prevention (cancer screening, immunizations, etc.) and chronic disease management. The ACC metrics are chosen based on largest impact on population health, prioritization by payers such as Medicare, and value-based care models.
Meeting and exceeding standards
M Health Fairview is accredited and recognized by state and national organizations for its performance.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is a federal government agency that sets health and safety requirements that healthcare systems must meet to participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs. Regular, unannounced surveys assess hospital compliance with regulations to ensure quality and equity. See how our hospitals compare to others in the state.
The Joint Commission
An independent, non-profit organization founded in 1951, The Joint Commission supports healthcare organizations on their journey to efficient, effective, and sustainable healthcare. The Joint Commission accredits across the continuum of care, providing a series of standardized performance measures to help health systems delivery safe, quality care.
Organizations undergo an onsite survey by a Joint Commission survey team at least every three years; laboratories must be surveyed every two years to earn and maintain The Gold Seal of Approval. Learn more about our accredited hospitals.
Minnesota Department of Health
M Health Fairview works in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) on improving the health and wellbeing of all Minnesotans. MDH provides guidance for caring for patients and healthcare workers, health information in several languages, an immunization program for preventable diseases, and data to identify healthcare trends and public health concerns. The department has oversite on the number of hospital bed licenses, monitors facilities and providers, performs criminal background checks, and tracks and follow up on complaints, licensing violations, and disciplinary actions for facilities, providers, and credentialed individuals.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Our health system follows guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) related to patient and staff safety, communicable disease outbreaks, chronic disease prevention, medical waste, environmental concerns, and more. The CDC’s recommendations and best practices are based on the latest scientific findings and health data tracked from across the country and globe.
U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital Rankings
M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital, Southdale Hospital, and University of Minnesota Medical Center were named among the 10 best hospitals in Minnesota by U.S. News & World Report in 2023. Southdale and the medical center were also ranked among the top five hospitals in the Twin Cities.
M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center is the only nationally ranked hospital for specialty care in the Twin Cities; ranked #37 in the nation for Cancer Care and #40 in the nation for Ear, Nose, and Throat (Otolaryngology) Care by U.S. News & World Report. It was also named “High Performing” in Gastroenterology and GI Care.
U.S. News & World Report’s rankings are based on objective measurements including patient satisfaction scores, hospital volume, quality of nursing, and risk-adjusted survival and discharge-to-home rates. To determine national recognition, U.S. News & World Report evaluated more than 4,500 hospitals across 15 adult care specialties – ranging from cancer care to urology. This year, just over 160 of the hospitals evaluated received a national specialty ranking.
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospital List
M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital was once again recognized as the Twin Cities’ top-ranked children’s hospital, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 Best Children’s Hospital list. The children’s hospital offers convenient and comprehensive children’s healthcare by some of the world’s leading medical experts. It’s connected to dozens of M Health Fairview primary care and urgent care clinics across Minnesota, making it even easier to access more than 55 specialties.
U.S. News and World Report introduced its “Best Children’s Hospitals” rankings in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care. To produce the list, U.S. News reviews data from nearly 200 medical centers. They evaluate a range of factors, including patient safety, infection prevention, level of nurse staffing, clinical research, and a survey of over 6,000 pediatric specialists nationwide. The list recognizes the top 50 pediatric hospitals across the U.S. in 10 specialties, ranging from cancer care to neurosurgery, as well as providing statewide and regional rankings.
Vizient Bernard A. Birnbaum Quality and Accountability and Rising Star Awards
Three of our hospitals – Fairview Range Medical Center, M Health Fairview Northland Medical Center, and M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital, –received the Vizient Bernard A. Birnbaum Quality and Accountability Award in 2023. The hospitals’ safety, mortality, effectiveness, efficiency, patient centeredness and equity of care were reviewed and measured using the Vizient Clinical Data Base, the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network ranking them in the top decile of performance for like hospitals. M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center received the “Rising Star” award for significant improvement in the rankings and ranking in the top quartile of academic medical centers.
- M Health Fairview Northland: Community Hospitals cohort. The award honors members that demonstrate excellence in delivering high-quality care based on measures in the Vizient Quality and Accountability Ranking.
- Fairview Range: Community Hospitals cohort. The award honors members that demonstrate excellence in delivering high-quality care based on measures in the Vizient Quality and Accountability Ranking.
- M Health Fairview Southdale: Large, Specialized Complex Care Medical Center cohort. The award honors members that demonstrate excellence in delivering high-quality care based on measures in the Vizient Quality and Accountability Ranking.
- M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center: Rising Star Award. The award recognizes comprehensive academic medical centers that made significant improvement measured by a rise of at least 20 positions from the prior year and scored in the top 25 in the annual Vizient Quality and Accountability Ranking.