Baptist Health hospitals rank in top three for Kentucky in 2018-19 US News and World Report listing

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (Aug. 14, 2018) – Baptist Health has two of Kentucky’s top three hospitals -- Baptist Health Lexington, ranked second, and Baptist Health Louisville, ranked third -- in the 2018-19 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings.

Baptist Health Louisville was also named #1 in Metro Louisville – the sixth time in seven years that it has been either #1 or tied for #1. Both hospitals are listed as being “Recognized in the Bluegrass Region” which encompasses Louisville and Lexington. University of Kentucky Hospital in Lexington took the #1 spot. Norton Hospital and St. Elizabeth Edgewood tied for fourth while Jewish Hospital was ranked sixth. 

The rankings, now in their 29th year, recognize hospitals that excel in caring for patients and are designed to assist patients and their doctors in identifying a hospital that best meets their needs.

“This national recognition confirms what our patients tell us – that Baptist Health hospitals provide the very best of care,” said Baptist Health CEO Gerard Colman. “These rankings also illustrate the daily commitment of our physicians, nurses and staff to live out our mission of leading in clinical excellence, compassionate care and growth to meet the needs of our patients.”

Baptist Health Lexington was judged as “high performing” in eight of nine adult procedures and conditions rated in the U.S. News report: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, colon cancer surgery, hip replacement, knee replacement and lung cancer surgery.

Baptist Health Louisville earned high performing ratings in seven areas: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, colon cancer surgery, hip replacement and knee replacement.

Baptist Health Floyd was rated as high performing in chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). 

Baptist Health Lexington and Baptist Health Louisville have each been recognized as a Magnet® hospital for nursing excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for multiple years. Last month, Baptist Health marked a major milestone as all nine of the hospitals that it owns or manages earned a designation of either Magnet or Pathway to Excellence® from the ANCC. When Baptist Health Floyd received its Pathway designation in July, that made Baptist Health the world’s only health system to currently have all of its hospitals receive an ANCC designation.

For the 2018-19 rankings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 medical centers nationwide. About 1,100 hospitals received a high performing rating in one or more procedures and conditions, and 29 hospitals received a high-performing rating in all nine procedures and conditions.

“For nearly 30 years, U.S. News has strived to make hospital quality more transparent to healthcare consumers nationwide,” said Ben Harder, managing editor and chief of health analysis at U.S. News. “By providing the most comprehensive data available, we give patients and their physicians’ information to support their search for the best care across a range of specialties.”

Objective measures such as risk-adjusted patient survival and readmission rates, volume, patient experience, patient safety and quality of nursing and other care-related data largely or entirely determine the rankings in most areas of care.

Best Hospitals was produced by U.S. News with RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. 

For more information about the 2018-19 rankings, visit the FAQ. The rankings will be published in the U.S. News “Best Hospitals 2019” guidebook (ISBN 9781931469906), available for pre-order now from the U.S. News Online Store and for purchase at other bookstores in late September.

For more information, visit Best Hospitals and use #BestHospitals on Facebook and Twitter.