How AdventHealth Orlando broke into US News’ top 20 – Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News

AdventHealth Orlando has joined U.S. News & World Report‘s Honor Roll of elite national institutions for the first time and was ranked No. 1 in Florida in the media company’s latest Best Hospitals rankings and ratings. But for Victor Herrera, MD, chief clinical officer for the system’s Central Florida Division, the goal has always been to deliver the best care close to home — not to chase rankings.

“As we have pursued clinical excellence across all our specialties, it’s been great to now get this recognition that validates that we are on the right track — in particular because U.S. News is known as the resource that is at the top for patients deciding where they go for care,” Dr. Herrera told Becker’s.

The journey has been years in the making. Dr. Herrera said 30-day mortality across all specialties has been a key area of focus. He also highlighted additional priorities, including preventing complications during hospitalization, reducing revision rates for hip replacements, improving stroke reperfusion and helping patients recover at home — avoiding emergency department visits and nursing home stays — across all specialties. 

In terms of more systemwide strategies or processes, Dr. Herrera said AdventHealth has focused on increasing access for patients, both by improving efficiency in existing access points and by creating new ones.

Regarding the workforce, he said the organization has been intentional about recruiting practitioners in highly specialized areas to make care available close to home. 

He noted that AdventHealth is focused on growing its medical education footprint to train those specialists within the health system. In April, AdventHealth University — a health sciences university founded by Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth — graduated 569 students, including its inaugural Doctor of Nursing graduates. It currently has approximately 2,000 students in the Orlando market.

Dr. Herrera said nursing excellence has also been key to the U.S. News recognitions. All hospitals in the system’s Central Florida Division operate under a single Medicare license based in Orlando, meaning performance metrics — including nursing excellence indicators — are assessed collectively. AdventHealth for Children was the first member of the division to achieve Magnet status, in 2011, followed by its Celebration campus in 2018.

“So all those areas — intentional work in recent years — are contributing,” Dr. Herrera said. “And it’s rewarding to now see this recognition.”

Still, he acknowledged there were obstacles to overcome while pursuing these improvements, such as establishing data platforms necessary to track performance and provide feedback to teams. 

“That’s an area where we’ve invested a lot: developing state-of-the-art data tools,” he added.

He also emphasized the importance of an innovation mindset and mission alignment.

“To stay at the top as a high-performing organization across all specialties, you have to constantly rethink how to solve problems,” Dr. Herrera said. “The world is always changing. And while it’s easy to keep solving problems the same way, we embrace rethinking, innovating and being open to trying new things.

“And finally, staying committed to the mission and reinforcing the ‘why’ — from leadership to the front lines — is critical. It requires constant effort and communication.”

As far as the most demanding aspect of the work behind those improvements is concerned, he referenced consistency.

“This is daily work. It’s a daily effort, both in the operations and in tracking performance and giving feedback to teams in ways they can relate to,” he said. “That consistency — and the discipline not to stop — that’s what’s most demanding.

“But it’s also mission-driven, and that’s why we’re able to do it.”

Dr. Herrera said one less obvious effect of this work is what the Honor Roll recognition means for the state of Florida. 

“This is the first time a hospital in Florida has made it into the top 20 nationally — that matters,” he said. “It puts Florida on the map in the healthcare landscape.

“When you look at the usual top 20, they’re often in the Northeast or on the West Coast. This shows patients in Florida no longer need to leave the state to access one of the nation’s best hospitals.”

And, he noted, “quality is a team sport.”

“Something like this — achieving this — requires all the different disciplines,” Dr. Herrera said. “Doctors can’t do it alone. Administrators can’t do it alone. Everyone has to work together.

“You need trust among team members. And innovation doesn’t happen without trust. So if I could leave one takeaway: You achieve this kind of outcome through teamwork.”