Four WVU Medicine hospitals have been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as part of its 2018-19 Best Hospitals in the United States.
J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital received three national rankings – 22nd in Urology, 28th in Diabetes and Endocrinology, and 38th in Gynecology – and was ranked as High Performing in five specialties – Cancer, Nephrology, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, and Pulmonology. Ruby Memorial was also ranked as the top hospital in West Virginia.
This year’s three national rankings for adult programs come on the heels of WVU Medicine Children’s receiving its first-ever national ranking in Pediatric Urology (42nd), which was announced last month. Ruby received its first-ever national ranking last year, when Urology was ranked 26th.
“We have a duty to the people of West Virginia to provide them with high quality healthcare so they never have to leave the state to find the care they need,” Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO of the West Virginia University Health System, said. “Being recognized on a national stage proves to our patients that we are making good on our promise to them, and it shows our doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers and staff that their hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed.”
Ruby and three additional WVU Medicine hospitals – Camden Clark Medical Center, Jefferson Medical Center, and United Hospital Center (UHC) – were all ranked as High Performing in Common Adult Procedure and Condition Ratings.
Ruby received its High Performing ratings in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair, Heart Failure, Colon Cancer Surgery, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Camden Clark, Jefferson, and UHC were all rated as High Performing in COPD. Camden Clark also received a High Performing rating in Heart Failure.
“We like to look at WVU Medicine as a hub-and-spoke system, meaning that you can get the same great care at our system hospitals as you get in our flagship hospital in Morgantown,” Wright said. “We have been making great strides in this area over the last few years, and to have half of our system hospitals recognized for their efforts by U.S. News & World Report means that we are headed in the right direction.”
For the 2018-19 rankings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 medical centers nationwide in 25 specialties, procedures, and conditions. In the 16 specialty areas, 158 hospitals were ranked in at least one specialty. In rankings by state and metro area, U.S. News recognized hospitals as high performing across multiple areas of care.
The U.S. News Best Hospitals methodologies in most areas of care are based largely or entirely on objective measures, such as risk-adjusted survival and readmission rates, volume, patient experience, patient safety, and quality of nursing, among other care-related indicators.
The rankings will be published in the U.S. News “Best Hospitals 2019” guidebook (ISBN 9781931469906), available at bookstores in late September.
Attention reporters and editors: To speak with WVU Medicine leadership or the leadership of the nationally ranked specialties, please contact Angela Jones-Knopf at 304-285-7259 or knopfa@wvumedicine.org. To speak with leadership at Camden Clark Medical Center, please contact Roger Lockhart at 304-424-2071 or roger.lockhart@wvumedicine.org. To speak with leadership at Jefferson Medical Center, please contact Teresa McCabe at 304-264-1223 or tmccabe@wvumedicine.org. To speak with leadership at United Hospital Center, please contact Matt Chisler at 681-342-1611 or chislerm@wvumedicine.org.
