Hardin Memorial Health earned recognition in the U.S. News and World Report 2019-20 Best Hospitals rankings released Tuesday, accomplishing high performing ratings for treating heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The rankings, now in their 30th year, recognize hospitals that excel in caring for patients, a news release said, adding they also assist patients and their doctors in identifying a hospital that best meets patient needs.
More than 4,500 medical centers nationwide were evaluated.
Hospitals are rated as high performing, average or below average in treating patients 65 and older, the release said. Only 10 to 21 percent of hospitals nationally received a high performing rating in the selected adult conditions and procedures. “HMH has an incredible team of physicians, advanced practice clinicians, nurses and health care professionals who do whatever it takes to care for patients,” said HMH CEO Dennis Johnson in the release. “While we must constantly focus on improving and growing, surveys like this one, help us pause to celebrate recognition for the treatment of two critical health conditions.”
The report evaluated HMH in six adult conditions and procedures. In addition to the high performing ratings for treating heart failure and COPD, average ratings were assigned to abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, colon cancer surgery, hip replacement and knee replacement.
The HMH team will review the data and determine opportunities for improvement, said HMH Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Sharon Wright.
“Our goal is always to achieve the highest ratings possible because that equates to better patient outcomes, and patient outcomes are what we really care about,” Wright said in the release.
HMH’s management partner Baptist Health, to which the sale of HMH is pending, also earned recognition in U.S. News and World Report’s ranking for Kentucky, the release said. Baptist Health Louisville was named No. 1 in Louisville and tied with Baptist Health Lexington as No. 3 in the state.
Rounding out this year’s rankings for Kentucky was University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital in the No. 1 spot while St. Elizabeth Edgewood-Covington Hospitals was No. 2 and Norton Hospital was No. 5.
Objective measures such as risk-adjusted patient survival and discharge-to-home rates, volume and quality of nursing and other care-related indicators were used to determine the rankings, the release said.
Best Hospitals was produced by U.S. News with RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. For more information, go to https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals.
