ASPIRUS IRON RIVER Hospital in Iron River.

WAUSAU, Wis. — Aspirus has been named among the nation’s 15 Top Health Systems by IBM Watson Health.

This is the third straight year Aspirus has been recognized for excellence in clinical outcomes, operational efficiency and patient experience.

This year’s 15 Top Health Systems study evaluated 332 health systems and 2,492 hospitals that are members of health systems. IBM Watson Health created the list to establish top performance benchmarks that may help other health care organizations achieve consistent, balanced and sustainable high performance.

“This is an accomplishment we’re very proud of, as it demonstrates Aspirus’ ongoing commitment to delivering patient-centered care, particularly during this very disruptive and challenging time,” said Matthew Heywood, Aspirus president and CEO.

According to the study, hospitals on the IBM Watson Health 15 Top Health Systems list had better results compared with their peer health systems on performance indicators intended to measure clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, and patient experience.

These include: lower inpatient mortality rates and fewer patient complications; fewer hospital-acquired infections; higher influenza immunization rates; lower 30-day readmission rates; shorter lengths of stay; faster emergency care; higher scores on patient ratings of their overall hospital experience; and lower episode-of-care expenses for the in-hospital through the aftercare process.

Aspirus is a non-profit health system based in Wausau, Wis. It has 8,700 employees throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Aspirus serves communities through four hospitals in Michigan and six hospitals in Wisconsin, 50 clinics, home health and hospice care, pharmacies, critical care and air-medical transport, medical goods, nursing homes and a broad network of physicians.