Like many organizations, we at Ohio State began 2009 uncertain about the direction of the United States economy and the impact that further declines would have on our patients, our community and our operations. We planned conservatively and refocused on “the basics.” We recommitted to our mission and values.
The results were stunning:
• Our hospitals were named to the U.S. News list of America’s Best Hospitals for the 17th consecutive year and to its Honor Roll of top 21 hospitals for the first time in our history.
• We were named a central Ohio Best Place to Work for the third year in a row.
• Our College of Medicine rose for the fifth consecutive year in the U.S.News & World Report graduate school rankings.
• The University HealthSystem Consortium ranked us among the top 10 academic medical centers in the nation
for quality.
• Our hospitals achieved Magnet redesignation for nursing, a status reached by only 2 percent of United
States hospitals.
• We were named to Leapfrog’s list of the top 45 hospitals in the country for quality and efficiency.
• The Ohio State University Board of Trustees approved plans to proceed with our $1 billion ProjectONE construction.
• Our faculty secured millions of dollars in National Institutes of Health economic stimulus funds to advance
their research.
• Our first Pelotonia cycling event raised more than $4.5 million to support cancer research.
• We hosted our second personalized health care national conference and formed a groundbreaking partnership with the Coriell Institute to map the genomes of 2,000 individuals.
Certainly, the quality standards and exceptional outcomes that attracted these accolades were years in development, but in a year in which we were so keenly focused on these goals, it was reassuring to see them so prominently recognized by others. The awards remind us of the importance of our work in academic medicine, of ensuring excellence in every interaction, and of every person we serve.
While the economic future remains cloudy, our mission and values do not. We are confident they will guide us as
well in 2010 as they did in 2009. We value your friendship on this journey and wish you a healthy and prosperous new year.
Steven G. Gabbe, MD
Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, The Ohio State University
Chief Executive Officer, The Ohio State University Medical Center