St. Vincent Medical Center has been ranked fifth in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area in U.S. News & World Report’s first-ever Best Hospitals metro area rankings for 2011-2012, available online at www.usnews.com/hospitals.
The latest rankings showcase 720 hospitals out of about 5,000 hospitals nationwide. Each is ranked among the country’s top hospitals in at least one medical specialty and/or ranked among the best hospitals in its metro area.
St. Vincent Medical Center is nationally ranked in Ear, Nose & Throat (#32).
St. Vincent Medical Center is high-performing in: Cancer, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Geriatrics, Gynecology, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, Pulmonology, and Urology.
U.S. News created Best Hospitals more than 20 years ago to identify hospitals exceptionally skilled in handling the most difficult cases, such as brain tumors typically considered inoperable and delicate pancreatic procedures.
The new metro area rankings are relevant to a much wider range of healthcare consumers. They are aimed primarily at consumers whose care may not demand the special expertise found only at a nationally ranked Best Hospital. Patients and their families will have a far better chance of finding a U.S. News-ranked hospital in their health insurance network and might not have to travel to get care at a high-performing hospital.
“St. Vincent Medical Center has the medical and surgical expertise of a university hospital and, at the same time, provides a personalized Catholic hospital setting,” said President/CEO Cathy Fickes. “We take seriously our mission to provide compassionate and excellent service, acting always in the interest of patient safety and delivering evidence-based quality care. On behalf of the associates and physicians affiliated with St. Vincent Medical Center, we are proud to be among the five best hospitals in Los Angeles. Our national recognition for Ear, Nose & Throat has everything to do with our world-renowned House Clinic ear surgeons and staff.”
The core mission of Best Hospitals is to help guide patients who need an especially high level of care because of a difficult surgery, a challenging condition, or added risk because of other health problems or age. “These are referral centers where other hospitals send their sickest patients,” said Avery Comarow, U.S. News Health Rankings Editor. “Hospitals like these are ones you or those close to you should consider when the stakes are high.”
Covering 94 metro areas in the U.S., the regional hospital rankings complement the national rankings by including hospitals with solid performance nearly at the level of nationally ranked institutions. The regional rankings are aimed primarily at consumers whose care may not demand the special expertise found only at a nationally ranked Best Hospital or who may not be willing or able to travel long distances for medical care. The U.S. News metro rankings give many such patients and their families more options of hospitals within their community and in their health insurance network.
“These are hospitals we call ‘high performers.’ They are fully capable of giving most patients first-rate care, even if they have serious conditions or need demanding procedures,” Comarow said. “Almost every major metro area has at least one of these hospitals.”
For the full list of metro area rankings visit www.usnews.com/hospitals.