Fletcher Allen ranked as top 20 academic medical center for 2nd year

For the second consecutive year, Fletcher Allen Health Care has been ranked among the top 20 academic medical centers in the nation for quality of care and patient safety by the University HealthSystems Consortium (UHC), an alliance of the leading non-profit academic medical centers in the country. UHC also recognized Fletcher Allen for being the most cost efficient organization in managing the purchase of all clinical and non-clinical supplies.  

“To perform so well among this elite group of centers on measures of both quality and efficiency is a remarkable achievement and reflects our commitment to being a high value provider,” said John Brumsted, MD, president and CEO.  “It speaks to our unyielding focus on quality improvement and the talent and dedication of employees throughout our organization.”

The UHC study evaluates performance in quality and safety across a broad spectrum of patient care activity. The Institute of Medicine’s "six aims" – mortality, effectiveness, safety, equity, patient centeredness, and efficiency – are used as a guide in structuring the review. 

Supply Chain Management Ranked #1

In a separate UHC survey, Fletcher Allen was selected as the nation’s top performer in managing the costs of all supplies. The analysis paid particular attention to expense utilization in cardiology, surgical services, and inpatient medications. Over the past four years, improved purchasing systems and practices have yielded more than $10 million in direct savings and/or cost avoidance in the acquisition of supplies and equipment.  Fletcher Allen was cited for using evidence-based evaluations, innovative supply chain approaches and for its long-term commitment to continuous improvement. 

“This is welcome recognition of our performance as a low cost provider of health care,” said Dr. Brumsted. “Our excellence in supply chain management is already proving to be a key factor in successfully building an integrated delivery system in our region.” 

“Cost management, enhanced business processes, a unified supply chain organization and meaningful informatics are the tenets that helped us achieve this honor of being the most cost efficient academic medical center in supply purchasing, and they will drive our sustained success,” said Charles Miceli,  vice president of  Supply Chain and Information Systems. 

The UHC Supply Chain Performance Excellence Awards are designed to provide UHC members with “best practices” examples to assist them in making measurable, sustainable improvements.

About Fletcher Allen

Fletcher Allen Health Care, together with our partners at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, is Vermont’s academic medical center. Fletcher Allen and Central Vermont Medical Center are members of Fletcher Allen Partners, established to develop a more coordinated system of care throughout the region. Fletcher Allen’s mission is to improve the health of the people in the communities it serves by integrating patient care, education and research in a caring environment. Fletcher Allen also serves as a regional referral center -- providing advanced care to approximately one million people in Vermont and northern New York -- and as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties. For more information about Fletcher Allen, find us online at http://www.fletcherallen.org or on our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blog sites at www.fletcherallen.org/socialmedia.

Photo of Fletcher Allen employees on hand to accept the award as the top performer among academic medical centers nationwide for managing supply chain costs. It was presented at the annual meeting of the University HealthSystems Consortium.