SMH ranked tops in region, 6th in state on U.S. News & World Report best hospital list
SARASOTA COUNTY – Sarasota Memorial Hospital maintained its ranking among America’s 50 best hospitals as compiled annually by U.S. News & World Report for its 2022-23 Best Hospitals list, which was released Tuesday.
SMH maintained its national ranking for rehabilitation for people recovering from serious injuries and debilitating diseases and earned a second national ranking for specialized urology care.
SMH also got “high performer” ratings for a third specialty, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, as well as 15 widely performed procedures and conditions common among Medicare patients.
Related: Sarasota Memorial Hospital earns national ranking from U.S. News & World Report
Earlier: Three area hospitals earn A's on Leapfrog Group report card
Sarasota Memorial maintained its rank as the top hospital in the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton region and sixth-ranked hospital in the state. It was the only hospital in the region to be ranked in the top 50.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings can be found online at https://bit.ly/3y7Tnk0.
In the 2021-22 rankings, SMH was tied for sixth with Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater but took sole possession of that rank this year.
The Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville was the top-ranked hospital in the state, with top rankings in seven adult specialties; Advent Health Orlando, moved from third to second; and Tampa General went from fourth to a third-place tie with Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, which was ranked second last year.
Cleveland Clinic Weston, in Weston, maintained its ranking of fifth in the state.
“We are honored to once again be included in this prestigious list and recognized in such a wide range of specialties, conditions and procedures," David Verinder, president and CEO of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, said in a prepared statement.
"These rankings and ratings reflect our continuing focus on quality amid the pandemic, and we are extremely grateful to our team of physicians, nurses and staff providing exceptional care to our patients."
The 15 procedures and conditions most common among Medicare patients for which Sarasota Memorial received recognition included: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; aortic valve surgery; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; colon cancer surgery; diabetes; heart attack; heart bypass surgery; heart failure; hip replacement; kidney failure; knee replacement; lung cancer surgery; prostate cancer surgery; stroke; and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
U.S. News & World Report has compiled its ranking for 33 years, evaluating 17 procedures and conditions. It evaluates nearly 5,000 hospitals each year.
U.S. News also rates hospitals as high performing, average or below average in common procedures and conditions for those age 65 and older.
"Having two specialties rank among the 50 best in the United States, and receiving high performing ratings in a third specialty and 15 widely performed conditions/treatments demonstrates the value Sarasota Memorial delivers to our community," SMH-Sarasota Campus President Lorrie Liang said in a prepared statement. “I am extremely proud of our team. Our reputation and best hospitals rankings are a reflection of their diligence, dedication and expertise."
In 2021, Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Sarasota campus earned the highest possible award for maternity care in U.S. News & World Report’s first “Best Hospitals for Maternity” list released last December.
Earlier: Sarasota Memorial ranked on list of best hospitals for maternity care
To make that list, hospitals had to demonstrate superior performance on five quality metrics, including newborn complication rates; C-section rates in low-risk women; the number of births scheduled too early in pregnancy; whether hospitals gave women the option for vaginal births after cesarean; and how hospitals supported mother-baby bonding and breastfeeding.
Earlier in July, Sarasota Memorial Hospital was named one of the nation's best hospitals on an annual ranking by Fortune Magazine and Merative – which was formerly known as IBM Watson.
In March, Sarasota Memorial made Newsweek's list of the world's best hospitals in the magazine's annual ranking of more than 2,200 medical institutions.
SMH came in 161st among 414 U.S. hospitals and fourth among 17 ranked hospitals in Florida.
.In May, Sarasota Memorial was one of three hospitals in Sarasota and Manatee counties that received A grades on the Leapfrog Group Hospital safety report cards for the spring of 2022.
SMH has earned an A grade on the twice annual Leapfrog ratings ever since it started participating in 2016.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: U.S. News & World Report ranks Sarasota Memorial Hospital in top 50
