Novant Health is ranked fourth among the Top 100 integrated healthcare networks in the United States, according to Verispan, a research firm that evaluates healthcare systems. The eleventh annual survey is being released this week in the national publication, Modern Healthcare. Novant ranked seventh last year and is the highest ranked health system in North Carolina.

Two other North Carolina health systems ranked in the top 100: Moses Cone Health System based in Greensboro, 70th; and FirstHealth of the Carolinas, 95th.

"The benefit of being highly integrated should accrue to our patients and their families," explained Novant Health Chief Medical Officer, Stephen Wallenhaupt, MD. "Our individual hospitals, outpatient centers and physician clinics continue to find new ways to improve our medical care and services by better sharing knowledge and resources."

Dr. Wallenhaupt mentioned several examples, including a comprehensive hand hygiene initiative and the planning taking place to implement electronic medical records throughout Novant Health. In addition, Novant will be building three new community hospitals over the next two years and they will design based upon the success of and lessons learned from Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville which opened in 2004.

Verispan evaluates health systems based on the level of integration in eight categories: integration; integrated technology; contractual capabilities outpatient utilization; financial stability; services and access; hospital utilization; and physicians.

Novant Health is a not-for-profit health system consisting of an 818-physician medical group and nine hospitals: Rowan Regional Medical Center in Salisbury; Presbyterian Hospital, Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital, Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville and Presbyterian Hospital Matthews of the Charlotte area; Forsyth Medical Center and Medical Park Hospital in Winston-Salem; Thomasville Medical Center in Thomasville; and Brunswick Community Hospital along the coast. Other facilities and programs of Novant Health include outpatient surgery and diagnostic centers, two nursing homes, rehabilitation programs and community health outreach programs.

The Verispan national scorecard and ranking process for health systems began in 1997 and has become a high-profile program for calling attention to organizations that are effectively leveraging the advantages of integrating services and sharing resources. www.verispan.com