New ranking includes only one Midlands hospital among the best in South Carolina
For the second year in a row, only one Midlands hospital was included among the top hospitals in South Carolina in a ranking that was released this week. It was the same hospital that was recognized last year by U.S. News & World Report.
The only difference this time is that Lexington Medical Center is currently considered the second-best hospital in South Carolina, improving from last year when it was ranked No. 5 in the Palmetto State by U.S. News & World Report.
Lexington Medical Center was rated high in 11 adult procedures and conditions, according to the report, which listed the top eight medical facilities in South Carolina.
It’s also generally regarded as one of the safest hospitals in South Carolina in the biannual Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.
Lexington Medical Center was lauded by U.S. News & World Report for its performance in procedures and conditions related to colon cancer surgery, heart failure, heart bypass surgery, heart attack, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, diabetes, kidney failure, stroke, back surgery (spinal fusion), hip fracture, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
According to U.S. News & World Report, the top-ranked hospital in the Palmetto State is the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
It was the eighth year in a row the MUSC facility in Charleston was rated the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina, with two of its adult specialty areas (ear, nose and throat, as well as gynecology) and four of its children’s specialties (cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, gastroenterology and GI surgery, in addition to nephrology) ranking among the best in the entire country.
U.S. News said it evaluated 89 hospitals in South Carolina, and only eight met its standards to earn a ranking.
The other hospitals that U.S. News & World Report ranked among the best in South Carolina included Roper Hospital (Charleston), Spartanburg Medical Center, McLeod Regional Medical Center (Florence), Bon Secours St. Francis Health System (Greenville), Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital, and Grand Strand Regional Medical Center (Myrtle Beach).
Although not included in the statewide rankings, several area hospitals were considered high performing in multiple areas, including:
▪ MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown (heart failure, heart attack, kidney failure, hip replacement, COPD)
▪ Prisma Health Baptist Hospital (colon cancer surgery, heart failure, kidney failure, knee replacement and hip replacement)
▪ Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital (heart failure, kidney failure)
▪ Prisma Health Richland Hospital (heart failure, heart attack, kidney failure, stroke, COPD)
▪ Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital (heart failure, kidney failure, COPD)
▪ Newberry County Memorial Hospital (hip fracture)
The U.S. News list of best hospitals was determined by two criteria:
▪ Specialty rankings for patients with life-threatening or rare conditions who need a hospital that excels in treating complex, high-risk cases
▪ Procedure and condition ratings that focus on specific and more commonly required treatment, such as hip replacement and heart failure, rather than on broader specialties like orthopedics and cardiology
The U.S. News rankings are designed to help patients with life-threatening or rare conditions identify hospitals that excel in treating the most difficult cases, with information on about 4,500 medical centers across the nation.
“These rankings are helpful if you’re looking for information about a rare condition or difficult diagnosis that isn’t treated at many facilities,” U.S. News said.
U.S. News advised readers not to reject emergency treatment based on the rankings.
The public is encouraged to consult with a doctor about the best hospital for treatment, and should only use the rankings as a starting point.
“The hospitals named among the best have extensive medical expertise and a history of delivering good outcomes,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “When patients and their medical professionals are considering their options for care, the rankings are designed to help them identify hospitals that are superior in the kind of care they may need.”
Hospital Ranking Methodology
The U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals methodology evaluated each hospital’s performance using a variety of measures such as survival rates, complication rates, patient experience and level of nursing care. The Best Hospitals methodology factors in data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, American Hospital Association, professional organizations and medical specialists. For the first time this year, U.S. News rated eligible hospitals in ovarian cancer surgery, prostate cancer surgery and uterine cancer surgery.
There are 15 specialties where the hospitals are ranked, and they include:
▪ Cancer
▪ Cardiology and heart surgery
▪ Diabetes and endocrinology
▪ Ear, nose and throat
▪ Gastroenterology and GI surgery
▪ Geriatrics
▪ Obstetrics and gynecology
▪ Neurology and neurosurgery
▪ Orthopedics
▪ Pulmonology and lung surgery
▪ Rehabilitation
▪ Urology
In the remaining three specialties — ophthalmology, psychiatry and rheumatology — ranking is determined entirely by expert opinion, based on responses from three years of surveys of physician specialists who were asked to name the hospitals to which they would be inclined to refer their sickest patients.
SOURCE: U.S. News & World Report
