SMH ranked tops in region, 5th in state on U.S. News & World Report best hospital list

Sarasota Memorial Hospital continued its string of top rankings in U.S. News & World Report's annual listing of the nation's top hospitals for 20 medical specialties, procedures and conditions, including two specialties ranked high enough to make the “50 Best Hospitals” list.

In the 2023-24 rankings and ratings – released at midnight Aug. 1 − SMH-Sarasota improved its ranking four slots to No. 31 in specialized rehabilitation and ranked No. 46 for obstetrics and gynecological care.

SMH ranked among the top 10% of U.S. hospitals for 18 other “high performing” specialties, procedures and conditions: gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery; geriatrics, neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; urology; abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; aortic valve surgery; colon cancer surgery; heart attack; heart bypass surgery; heart failure; hip replacement; knee replacement; leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma; lung cancer surgery; prostate surgery; stroke; and transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

“This year’s rankings and ratings from U.S. News are a tribute to the breadth, depth and quality of care Sarasota Memorial provides every day, from routine treatments and procedures to complex, rare and high-risk cases,” David Verinder, CEO of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, said in a prepared statement. “The consistent, high performance of our hospital and care providers is something our health system and community can all take pride in.”

The SMH Sarasota campus maintained its rank as the top hospital in the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton region and tied with Baptist Health Baptist Hospital in Miami as the fifth-ranked hospital in the state.

It was the only hospital in the region to be ranked in the top 50 best hospitals for specialty services.

The SMH-Venice campus, which opened in November 2021, is still too new to be ranked and should be eligible for consideration next year.

Now in its 34th year, the U.S. News & World Report ranking can be found online at https://bit.ly/3QkJQ4Z.

In that same statement, Lorrie Liang, president of SMH-Sarasota, recognized SMH employees for their diligence and high-caliber care, and commended the oncology team for gains made in cancer care. Sarasota Memorial maintained its high performing rating for prostate, lung and colon cancer surgery, and this year also earned a high performing rating for the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

“SMH’s high-performing status in oncology is a credit to our expanding Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute and team of dedicated, highly skilled cancer specialists,” Liang said. “One of our most important priorities is to continue making targeted investments to ensure the Suncoast community has access to comprehensive, coordinated cancer care residents can count on.”

SMH was ranked sixth in the state the past two years.

Some of the changes in rankings can be attributed to a change in methodology used, including an increased weight on objective quality measures and a reduction of expert opinion; using outpatient outcomes in specialty rankings; and outpatient outcomes in cancer-related procedures and conditions.

All changes to the methodology are available on the U.S. News website.

The Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville maintained its position as the top-ranked hospital in the state;  Advent Health Orlando and UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville tied for second this year, with Tampa General dropping from third to fourth place.

Cleveland Clinic Weston, in Weston, dropped from fifth to a seventh-place tie with Orlando Health, Orlando Regional Medical Center.

The University of Miami Hospital and Clinics-UHealth Tower and Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami rounded out the top 10.

Lee Memorial Hospital in Lee County was ranked 14th in the state.

Related: Sarasota Memorial maintains 5-star CMS rankings; continues streak in nursing rankings

Earlier: Sarasota Memorial breaks ground on $75 million research and education building

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Memorial Hospital moves up on U.S. News & World Report list