It’s the 20th consecutive year that US News and World Report has bestowed that distinction on Wake Forest Baptist. In the latest edition of the annual rankings, it is among the top fifty hospitals in seven specialties: Cancer, Gastroenterology, Geriatrics, Nephrology, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Pulmonology, and Urology. The Medical Center is nationally ranked as “high performing” in five specialties: Cardiology and Heart Surgery, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Ear, Nose & Throat, Gynecology and Orthopedics. Dr. John D. McConnell is the CEO of Wake Forest Baptist…
“We were pleasantly surprised that we climbed so significantly in the rankings this year. We think it was a combination of several things: a combination of our own ongoing efforts to get the word on on the great ongoing work here at Wake Forest Baptist, in terms of our discoveries and improved patient care.”
Dr. McConnell says that’s possibly due, in part, to a change in methodology…
“...with more and more of a focus on quantitative quality measures, patient outcomes and things that patients should actually be very interested in. They go well beyond just your reputation, if you will.”
This year, US News also ranked the top three hospitals within each state… Wake Forest Baptist is ranked number 2 in North Carolina, and remains the top medical center in the Piedmont area…
“It's already clear from these rankings that we are the preeminent health care insitution in the western half of North Carolina, and as you know, for the first time, they did state-level rankings, and to be second in a state with exceptionally high-level health care, makes us very proud.”
This is the 23rd annual edition of the Best Hospitals, and it showcases more than 720 of the nation’s approximately 5-thousand hospitals. Fewer than 150 are ranked nationally in at least one of sixteen medical specialties.
Steve Biddle… WFDD News… Winston Salem.
