For the 13th consecutive year, Rush University Medical Center has been ranked as one of the 10 top-performing academic medical centers by Vizient, a member-owned nonprofit organization that more than 1,400 hospitals use to improve patient care.
Rush leaders have long considered Vizient rankings as the most accurate gauge of how well hospitals deliver care. The study compares hospitals in six areas: safety, mortality, effectiveness, efficiency, patient-centeredness and equity of care. Rush was ranked No. 6 in the country in Vizient’s 2025 Quality and Accountability Study.
“Hospital ratings matter. They help patients navigate the increasingly complex world of health care but also help hospitals learn and improve,” said Dr. Omar Lateef , president and CEO of Rush University System for Health and Rush University Medical Center. “Across our system, these and many other honors are only possible because of our amazing staff. They are driven by excellence for our patients.”
Rush’s sustained excellence across the four major hospital rating systems places it in exclusive company. Over the last six consecutive years, only Rush University Medical Center, the Mayo Clinic, Houston Methodist Hospital and New York University Hospital have earned five stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, been named to the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll and achieved straight A grades from hospital safety group Leapfrog while also remaining on Vizient’s list of top 10 performing academic medical centers.
Rush leaders also point out that Vizient’s unique performance improvement mission advances the quality of care at hospitals across the country.
“Hospitals collaborate more than they compete. Vizient allows hospitals to learn and replicate what works so patients across the country can benefit — and we are proud to be a bellwether that inspires others to improve for the greater good,” said Dr. Brian Stein, chief quality officer.
The Vizient Quality and Accountability Study is especially meaningful because Vizient is unique in using objective data from all inpatients a hospital treats. Among its other attributes:
- Vizient does not factor in reputation. While other rankings rely heavily on opinion surveys, Vizient’s study is entirely based on data.
- The rating uses current data. Scores reflect care provided from June 2024 to June 2025, while other ratings typically rely on claims data that can be 18 to 24 months old.
- It encompasses all patients. This study compares outcomes for all inpatients regardless of insurance while other ratings only include patients covered by Medicare.
- The ranking compares similar sized hospitals. Vizient groups hospitals by four subtypes, so large academic medical centers like Rush are compared with hospitals that have similar volumes and perform a similar range of procedures.
While the data earning Vizient’s top 10 national distinction was from patients treated at Rush’s downtown academic medical center campus and compared within Vizient’s “Comprehensive Academic Medical Center” category, the commitment to the best possible care is a promise made systemwide, said Dr. Paul Casey, Rush’s chief medical officer.
“Rush is consistently outstanding regardless of how and where patients access care. Our physicians, nurses and staff often treat patients at several of the Rush hospitals and clinics in Chicago, the suburbs, Northwest Indiana and, increasingly, virtually. But no matter where or how the care is delivered, the commitment to provide the best possible care is who we are and is what connects and drives us.”
Vizient classifies Rush Copley Medical Center as a “Complex Care Medical Center” and ranks it 56 in the country in a cohort of 208, while Rush Oak Park Hospital is in the “Community Hospital” category and ranks 103 in a cohort of 243. Comprehensive Academic Medical Center is a cohort of 118.
In addition to Rush’s recognition as a top provider of inpatient care, Vizient also cited its achievements in supply chain operations by naming Rush University Medical Center winner of the Value Alignment Visionary Award for Indirect Spend/Purchased Services. That award recognizes transformational health care leadership that is especially focused on “innovation, resilience and measurable impact in spend management … ensuring smarter and more sustainable health care operations.”
