Published on April 27, 2021

Silver Cross Hospital Named to the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals® List

Annual list recognizes excellence in clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, patient experience, and financial health 

Annual ranking introduces first measure of hospitals’ contributions to community health with a focus on equity

WH 100 Top Hospitals logoSilver Cross Hospital in New Lenox has been named today to the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals® list. This is the 9th time Silver Cross has been recognized with this honor as one of the top performing hospitals in the U.S. The annual list was published today by Fortune. 

IBM Watson Health has identified the top hospitals from a rigorous evaluation of 2,675 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals in the U.S. The annual list recognizes excellence in clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, patient experience, and financial health. IBM Watson Health established the list to help identify best practices that may help other healthcare organizations achieve consistent, balanced, and sustainable high performance. 

This year’s ranking of top hospitals also introduces a measure of hospitals’ contributions to community health with a focus on equity developed by a team of experts at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity and the Bloomberg American Health Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. For the ranking, hospitals were surveyed across three components: 1) assessing hospital contributions to community health as a provider of critical services for community health and preventive care; 2) identifying ways that hospitals contribute to community health as a community partner teaming up with local organizations to implement critical programs; and 3) focusing on ways that hospitals promote community health through their practices as anchor institutions supporting local economic and social progress. Hospitals received credit for meeting a certain number of best practice standards in each component as part of the survey scoring and the new measure led to a change in ranking for more than one-third of the 100 hospitals.  

“At Silver Cross, we’re committed to delivering an unrivaled healthcare experience for every patient, every time,” said President/CEO Ruth Colby. “To be nationally recognized for the work we do on a daily basis is extraordinary and a true credit to our inspiring team of caregivers. We’re humbled to be recognized as one of the nation’s best hospitals for the 9th time and the second year running, but we won’t rest on this accomplishment. In true Silver Cross fashion, we’ll keep advancing to be even better for our patients and our community.”

Since its opening in 1895, Silver Cross has grown to a 650,000-square-foot, 300-bed facility on a 130-acre campus that also includes an Ambulatory Surgery Center, Endoscopy Center, Silver Oaks Behavioral Hospital and Silver Cross Urgent Care. The hospital operates several off-site physician offices through Silver Cross Medical Group and Premier Suburban Medical Group.

Silver Cross also partners with leading academic providers including the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Shirley Ryan Ability Lab (formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago – RIC), UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, Loyola Medicine for neurosciences and stroke care, and Rush University Medical Center for thoracic surgery.

In April of this year, Silver Cross opened a new $22 million heart expansion, offering minimally invasive heart procedures such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in addition to traditional open heart surgery and other cardiac interventions, and a 16-bed observation unit adjacent to its Emergency Department. And in May, Silver Cross will break ground on a new urgent care center in Mokena; expand its cardiac rehabilitation program; and add three new labor, delivery and recovery rooms. 

This recognition demonstrates Silver Cross Hospital’s ongoing commitment to prioritize patient-centered care. According to IBM Watson Health, as compared to similar hospitals, the hospitals included on the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list had better results on key clinical and operational performance indicators. These include survival rates, patient complications, healthcare associated infections, 30-day mortality and 30-day hospital-wide readmission rates, length of stay, throughput in emergency departments, inpatient expenses, profitability and ratings from patients. 

“We are proud of all of the hospitals, health systems and their dedicated clinicians and staff included among the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals,” said Irene Dankwa-Mullan, MD, MPH, Chief Health Equity Officer and Deputy Chief Health officer at IBM Watson Health. “From small community hospitals to major teaching hospitals, organizations on this list demonstrate a relentless commitment to high value, patient-centered care and innovation. They also recognize the importance of contributing to the health of their communities and we applaud them for their programs that help provide equitable quality care and address health disparities.” 

For more information, visit http://www.100tophospitals.com/.

If you’re a member of the media and need information about Silver Cross Hospital, please contact Debra Robbins, Director of Marketing & Communications, at 815-300-7562 or drobbins@silvercross.org

Parking Lot P, located on Silver Cross Boulevard, is our designated space for media and TV crews.

Physicians on Silver Cross Hospital’s Medical Staff have expertise in their areas of practice to meet the needs of patients seeking their care. These physicians are independent practitioners on the Medical Staff and are not the agents or employees of Silver Cross Hospital. They treat patients based upon their independent medical judgment and they bill patients separately for their services.