When the Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in the Super Bowl, there was no doubt they were at the top of their game in professional football. However, the same cannot be said for NYU Langone Health’s multi-million-dollar Super Bowl ad claiming to be “#1 for quality care in the U.S.” The ad provided an obscure justification for this title, leaving viewers with more questions than answers.
The ad referenced a ranking by Vizient in 2024, where NYU Langone Health was ranked #1 out of 115 participating comprehensive academic medical centers. This ranking, although touted as a significant achievement, left many wondering about the methodology and relevance of such a title, especially to the 127 million viewers watching the game.
While the Eagles’ victory was clear and understandable based on points scored and prevented, NYU Langone’s claim to the top spot in healthcare quality raised eyebrows. The lack of transparency in how the rankings were determined by Vizient highlighted a larger issue in the healthcare industry, where claims of excellence are made without clear evidence to back them up.
NYU Langone’s top ranking was based on various quality measures, including mortality and infection rates, patient experience scores, and other critical indicators. However, without a clear understanding of how these measures were calculated and compared, patients are left in the dark when it comes to making informed decisions about their healthcare.
In contrast, rankings like those by U.S. News & World Report and Medicare’s Compare website provide more transparency in their methodologies, allowing patients to make more informed choices. The discrepancies between these rankings and Vizient’s highlight the need for greater transparency and accountability in healthcare quality assessments.
Ultimately, NYU Langone’s claim to excellence in healthcare may not be as clear-cut as their Super Bowl ad suggests. While they may have achieved top rankings in certain areas, the overall picture of healthcare quality remains complex and multifaceted, requiring more than just a catchy slogan to truly assess. Paradoxically, organizations like STS and Vizient, who keep negative information private, may actually be the ones most likely to gather accurate data that is not manipulated to enhance public perception.
Data Plus Culture Is the Key
During my research on NYU Langone, what stood out to me was an interview with Dr. Ilseung Cho, the assistant chief quality officer. The interview began with an honest acknowledgment that the organization had faced a crisis in the mid-2000s before undergoing a complete transformation. Dr. Cho shared his personal motivation to enhance quality and safety, sparked by a family member’s experience with a surgical site infection. He emphasized that being told such infections were rare provided little comfort.
Furthermore, Dr. Cho demonstrated an understanding of the importance of integrating detailed data with a strong organizational culture. NYU Langone uses a dashboard to monitor over 800 metrics, which is considered one of the most comprehensive in the nation. However, Dr. Cho stressed the challenge of ensuring that data-driven practices aimed at enhancing quality and safety remain relevant and meaningful to frontline workers.
He described their approach to improving hospital care quality as engaging every clinician and staff member who is dedicated to serving patients and enhancing care. This, he referred to as “our secret sauce” in the quest for better healthcare quality.
