Nationally recognized as a leader in quality healthcare
This section lists the numerous awards and accreditations Mercy has received for demonstrating how we provide outstanding care to our patients.
Mercy has received a five-star Quality Rating (the highest rating possible) from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Mercy Medical Center has been named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals by IBM Watson Health™. The annual list recognizes excellence in clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, patient experience and financial health.
According to IBM Watson Health, as compared to similar hospitals, the hospitals included on the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list had better results on key clinical and operational performance indicators. These include survival rates; patient complications; healthcare-associated infections; 30-day mortality and 30-day hospital-wide readmission rates; length of stay; throughput in emergency rooms; inpatient expenses; profitability; and ratings from patients. This is the eighth time Mercy has been recognized with this honor.
Mercy Medical Center has received numerous quality awards from CareChex throughout the years.
Most recently, Mercy was recognized as Top 100 in the Nation for Neurological Care and Stroke Care and #1 in the state of Iowa for Overall Surgical Care.
Mercy is also #1 in Linn County in several categories, including General Surgery, Heart Failure Treatment, Interventional Coronary Care and Trauma Care, among others. Learn more from CareChex.com.
Mercy Cedar Rapids has been ranked #1 in Iowa and 19th in the nation as a Top Hospital by the Lown Institute as part of its Hospital Index list of the nation’s top hospitals, scoring an A+ overall.
Mercy has been named one of the nation’s top-performing hospitals by Fortune and IBM Watson Health. The annual Fortune/IBM 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study recognizes leading hospitals that treat a broad range of cardiology patients.
The Top 50 selected hospitals are listed in three categories: teaching hospitals with cardiovascular residencies, which is Mercy’s designation; teaching hospitals without such residencies; and community hospitals. Mercy is the only hospital in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Corridor to make the Top 50 list. Read more.
The open heart program at the Jewel & Jim Plumb Heart Center at Mercy Cedar Rapids has, once again, earned a distinguished, three-star rating in overall performance from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and outcomes in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This distinction reflects exemplary results in the following areas: absence of major mortality and morbidity; use of internal mammary artery harvest; and receipt of required perioperative medications. Mercy has received this recognition three times. Less than 10 percent of open heart programs in the U.S. earn this STS three-star distinction. Learn more.
Mercy Bariatric Surgery Clinic has been accredited as a Comprehensive Center by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP®), an affiliate of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). Mercy is the only Cedar Rapids hospital to achieve this accreditation and one of only nine in Iowa.
The accreditation means that patients seeking surgical treatment for obesity and its related conditions have a high-quality choice for receiving care at a nationally accredited program that meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality. Learn more.
Mercy Medical Center is pleased to announce that its Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit (IRU) has been awarded a Three-Year Term of Accreditation from CARF International as an Adult Inpatient Medical Rehabilitation Program and Hospital Stroke Specialty Program. CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body that promotes quality, value, and optimal outcomes through a consultative accreditation process and continuous improvement that centers on enhancing the lives of patients.
Mercy has received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus “Get With The Guidelines®” – Stroke Quality Achievement Award for excellence in treating stroke. This award acknowledges Mercy’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines. Read more.
Mercy is a proud recipient of the Most Wired Award eleven times since 2006 - most recently in 2021.
The Most Wired Hospitals are annually announced in Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, a trade publication published by the American Hospital Association.
This recognition is based on technology advancements made by organizations to enhance patient safety, clinical quality and customer service in healthcare centers. The nation’s Most Wired hospitals have demonstrated better outcomes in four key areas — infrastructure, business and administrative management, clinical quality and safety and care continuum.
Mercy has received recertification as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards. Advanced Certification illustrates Mercy’s quality in treating strokes and indicates our ability to incorporate optional clinical requirements developed in collaboration with industry experts.
Accredited by the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS). As the first hospital in the area accredited by the ACoS in 1990, Mercy was re-accredited again in 2017, having received a Three-Year Approval with Commendation.
Approval by the CoC is achieved by only those facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of cancer care and undergo a rigorous evaluation process.
Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients through standard setting, prevention, research, education and the monitoring of comprehensive, quality care. As an ACoS-accredited site, Mercy ensures that a patient will have access to the latest advancements and coordinated system of cancer care.
Certified by the QOPI® Certification Program, an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and its Quality Oncology Practice Initiative®.
Oncology Associates at Mercy has been recognized by the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) Certification Program, an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). This program provides a three-year certification for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet standards for quality cancer care.
Oncology Associates has been participating in QOPI for more than seven years. Oncology Associates prides itself on providing the highest quality patient care. This certification reinforces that excellent cancer care is consistently offered close to home, at the Hall-Perrine Cancer Center.
Mercy Pediatric Cardiology Clinic has been granted a three-year term of accreditation by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in Echocardiography in the area of Pediatric Transthoracic Echocardiography. Accreditation by the IAC indicates that Mercy Pediatric Cardiology Clinic has undergone an intensive application and review process and is compliant with published standards, thus demonstrating a commitment to quality patient care in echocardiography. Learn more.
Mercy's Women's Center has been named a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology (ACR) for mammography, breast ultrasound, ultrasound-guided biopsy, and stereotactic biopsy. This designation is awarded to breast imaging centers that achieve excellence by seeking and earning accreditation in all of the ACR's voluntary breast-imaging accreditation programs and modules, in addition to the mandatory Mammography Accreditation Program.
Mercy Dialysis Center in Cedar Rapids has earned a four-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) based on the quality of patient care it provides. Mercy is the only dialysis center in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City area to earn this level of distinction from CMS.
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield has named Mercy as one of the first hospitals to receive the Blue Distinction® Center+ for Maternity Care under the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. This designation is designed to help prospective parents find hospitals that deliver quality, affordable maternity care. Learn more.
Wellmark® Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® has named Mercy Medical Center-Cedar Rapids as a Blue Distinction Center Plus (+) in the areas of spine surgery, knee and hip replacement. The Blue Distinction 
Centers for Specialty Care® program is a national designation awarded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality specialty care – and has recently expanded to include more robust quality measures focused on improved patient health and safety as well as new cost-efficiency measures. Learn more.
100 Great Iowa Nurses awards outstanding nurses throughout Iowa whose courage, competence and commitment to patients and the nursing profession stands out above all others. Mercy is proud to have had 59 nurses recognized for this award from 2005 to the program's conclusion in 2020.
Mercy is accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL) for its excellence in providing the highest quality echo services. Awarded organizations must face a rigorous review of all aspects of laboratory operation as well as the submission of actual case studies for review.
As a College of American Pathologists Accredited site, Mercy has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to its laboratory management by improving patient care, strengthening the deployment of quality standards and reducing errors and risk control costs.
