MedStar Washington Hospital Center Named Among Nation's Best

Washington, D.C., July 16, 2013 – MedStar Washington Hospital Center’s heart program is the only one in the Washington region to be ranked nationally by the just-released U.S.News and World Report’s “Best Hospitals” 2013-2014 issue. It is among only 147 facilities, just three percent of the 4,806 hospitals in the country to earn a national ranking in any specialty.

This year, MedStar Washington Hospital Center improved its standing in Cardiology and Heart Surgery, coming in at No. 29, up from No. 41 last year. It marks the 17th year that the Hospital Center has been nationally ranked by U.S.News.

Recently, the Hospital Center joined with four of its Washington, D.C., area sister hospitals to create MedStar Heart Institute. In January, the Heart Institute formed a first-of-its-kind alliance with world-renowned Cleveland Clinic Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute. For the 19th consecutive year, Cleveland Clinic’s heart program is ranked No.1 in the nation.

The magazine also recognized eight of the Hospital Center’s other specialties as high-performing: Diabetes & Endocrinology; Gastroenterology & GI Surgery; Geriatrics; Gynecology; Nephrology; Orthopedics; Pulmonology and Urology.

The annual U.S.News Best Hospitals rankings, now in their 24th year, recognize hospitals that excel in treating the most challenging patients. It evaluates hospitals in 16 adult specialties, ranking the top 50 hospitals and also recognizing others as high performing.

“A hospital that emerges from our analysis as one of the best has much to be proud of,” said Avery Comarow, U.S.News health rankings editor. “Only about 15 percent of hospitals are recognized for their high performance as among their region’s best.”

U.S.News publishes Best Hospitals to guide patients who need a high level of care because they face particularly difficult surgery, a challenging condition, or added risk because of other health problems or age. Objective measures such as patient survival and safety data, the adequacy of nurse staffing levels, certain clinically proven technologies and other data largely determined the rankings in most specialties.

The complete rankings and methodology are available at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals.

So Young Pak
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