FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 13, 2006
Media Contact:
Phone: (941) 917-1499
Pager: (941) 252-8101
'U.S.News & World Report’ Again Ranks
The hospital is ranked 24th in the U.S.
for heart and heart surgery, 30th for orthopedics, 50th
for cancer care, 42nd for digestive
disorders, 49th for gynecology
and 44th for respiratory disorders.
Sarasota Memorial is ranked ahead of all
other institutions listed for
Indeed, during an interview on CNN's July
8 Saturday Morning News program, Sarasota Memorial was singled out by U.S.
News health editor Dr. Bernardine Healy, the
former director of the National Institutes of Health, as an example of how
patients may find superior quality and care close to home at their own
community hospital.
In responding to a question from the CNN
anchor about whether people who do not live near the top-ranked teaching
institutions may still receive "innovative treatment," Dr. Healy
cited Sarasota Memorial and its rankings in six different specialties as an
example of "excellent care," saying that "a great tribute to
American medicine is the diffusion of excellent quality from major teaching
centers into community hospitals."
U.S. News assessed
care in 16 medical specialties at more than 5,189 hospitals around the nation
to calculate the rankings. The specialties were evaluated using a formula that
includes mortality rates, reputation and a group of care-related factors such
as nursing care and patient services. Only 176 hospitals scored high enough to
earn a ranking in any specialty in 2006. Magnet status, the nation’s highest
honor for excellence in nursing, also helped determine hospitals’ rankings.
Sarasota Memorial currently is the only
hospital in the region to earn Magnet
designation from the
“Sarasota Memorial is honored to be listed among a
select group of distinguished institutions singled out for unsurpassed quality
and expertise,” said CEO Gwen MacKenzie. “Earning numerous mentions in U.S.
News for the third year in a row demonstrates our physicians’ and staff’s
commitment to providing exceptional patient care. Our rankings reaffirm the
fact that community members don’t have to go elsewhere to obtain the best
health care in the nation — they have access to the most advanced medical
treatments and technology right here in
According
to U.S. News, which is publishing the rankings in its July 17 issue, “Most of the institutions ranked are referral
centers, where the sickest patients are sent for advanced care. Such hospitals
follow—and often pioneer—new treatment guidelines. They conduct
bench-to-bedside research. And they exploit the latest advances in imaging,
surgical devices, and other technologies.”
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