Vanderbilt University Medical Center has again been named to the Honor Roll of America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report in the publication’s 2022-2023 ranking of health care facilities. VUMC is No. 1 in Tennessee, No. 1 in the Metro Nashville area and the only health system in the Southeast to be named to this year’s Honor Roll.
U.S. News uses structural measures and peer reputational scores to rank hospitals. This year, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 hospitals, and only 164 were nationally ranked in one medical specialty or more. Only 20 hospitals earned Honor Roll status in this year’s ranking.
In addition to inclusion in the Honor Roll, VUMC was nationally ranked in nine data-driven nationally ranked specialties — Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Ear, Nose & Throat, Gastroenterology and GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pulmonology and Lung Surgery and Urology.
“Our ongoing commitment to placing patients first serves as the foundation for continued success with rankings such as this. I want to express my appreciation for these strong results and congratulate our physicians, nurses and staff for keeping the Medical Center ranked No. 1 in Tennessee,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System Officer for VUMC.
VUMC was also ranked as high performing in 19 out of 20 possible adult procedures and conditions, which is a measure intended by U.S. News to show consumers how well their local hospitals stand up to close scrutiny in terms of quality and safety.
Procedures and conditions ranked as high performing were abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (AAA), aortic valve surgery, back surgery (spinal fusion), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), colon cancer surgery, diabetes, heart attack, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, hip fracture, hip replacement, kidney failure, knee replacement, lung cancer surgery, ovarian cancer surgery, pneumonia, prostate cancer surgery, stroke and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
“We are honored to receive the USNWR Honor Roll recognition as it reflects VUMC’s continuous pursuit of high-quality care for our patients and families,” said Jenny Slayton, DNP RN, Senior Vice President for Quality, Safety and Risk Prevention. “We are proud of and greatly appreciate our VUMC teams who work so hard to provide the great care that is reflected by this ranking.”
Contributing to VUMC’s success in the Best Hospitals rankings was an oversight committee led by Ronald Alvarez, MD, MBA, Betty and Lonnie S. Burnett Professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Dane Chetkovich, MD, PhD, Margaret and John Warner Professor of Neurological Education and chair of the Department of Neurology, that is comprised of leaders from across the Medical Center. The committee was formed in 2017 to examine and help guide progress for a range of VUMC’s clinical performance outcomes.
“We appreciate the recognition by USNWR as an Honor Roll institution. It reflects the hard work of many at VUMC to make sure our patients get only the highest quality care and service. We are committed to making it even better,” said Alvarez.
The U.S. News Best Hospitals methodologies are based largely on objective measures such as risk-adjusted survival, discharge-to-home rates, volume, and quality of nursing, among other care-related indicators, along with reputational scores voted on by peers practicing in the particular specialty.
Last month, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the Best Children’s Hospital in Tennessee and the Southeast, with 10 out of 10 possible nationally ranked children’s specialties.
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals ratings help patients begin their search for care and should be used in consultation with a medical professional.
