This is the top Kansas City area hospital for 13th year in a row, says national list

The University of Kansas Hospital is the No. 1 hospital in the Kansas City metro for the 13th year in a row in the annual U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals ranking released Tuesday.

Saint Luke’s Hospital ranked second for a ninth year in a row.

The Top 5 hospitals in Kansas City did not change from last year and also include: North Kansas City Hospital and Saint Luke’s East tied for No. 3, followed by AdventHealth Shawnee Mission.

KU, which has led Kansas City through the pandemic with daily medical briefings, was also named the best hospital in Kansas, 11 years running. No other hospital has ever received these honors. The hospital is also nationally ranked among the country’s top 50 hospitals in eight specialties.

“Recognition by U.S. News is an incredible honor for our team,” Tammy Peterman, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the KU system, said in a statement. “They work hard every day to ensure we provide the highest quality, safest care to every patient at The University of Kansas Health System.

“We are always honored to be recognized, but the most important reward for our team is knowing the impact we have on the health of our patients every day.”

Saint Luke’s was named the second-best hospital in Missouri behind Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. North Kansas City Hospital and Saint Luke’s East are ranked No. 8 in Missouri.

Both Saint Luke’s and Saint Luke’s East are recognized among the best hospitals in northwestern Missouri.

“This recognition illustrates the commitment and dedication of our Saint Luke’s physicians and nurses, and other professionals who bring the highest level of care to patients in our community,” Julie Quirin, chief operating officer and senior vice president of Saint Luke’s Health System, said in a statement.

Children’s Mercy tied with three other hospitals for third-best children’s hospital in the 13-state Midwest region, including St. Louis Children’s Hospital-Washington University.

U.S. News is known for its national rankings, from colleges and high schools to cruise lines and cars. It’s been ranking hospitals for more than 30 years. and for 2022-23 researched more than 4,500 in every state and nearly 100 metro areas.

The hospital rankings are meant to help patients and their doctors find the right hospital for the care the patient needs. The pandemic has underscored “the importance of high-quality health care,” U.S. News said in releasing the new rankings.

It evaluated 141 hospitals in Missouri. Fourteen met enough standards to make the list.

In Kansas, 150 hospitals were evaluated and three fared well enough to be on the list.

Each hospital is rated on 15 areas of complex care and 17 procedures and conditions such as knee replacements and heart bypass surgery and, new this year, back surgery, diabetes, heart attacks, hip fractures, kidney failure, pneumonia and stroke.

The hospitals are ranked according to patient outcomes, or how well patients fare after they’re treated, as well as issues that directly affect that care. For example: Is the hospital adequately staffed?

This year, KU earned national rankings in eight adult specialties: cancer (No. 46); cardiology (47); diabetes and endocrinology (46); ear, nose and throat (27); geriatrics (31); neurology and neurosurgery (28); pulmonology and lung surgery (32) and urology (39).

It also ranked as “high performing” in gastroenterology & GI surgery and orthopedics, making it in the top 10% of all hospitals receiving a score in these specialties.

Saint Luke’s is ranked 22nd in the nation in cardiology and heart surgery, and earned high performing ratings in 13 common adult procedures and conditions and five adult specialties: gastroenterology and GI surgery, geriatrics, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, and pulmonology and lung surgery.

Saint Luke’s East, Saint Luke’s South and Saint Luke’s North were also recognized for high performance in several common adult procedures and conditions.

This is the third consecutive year Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute’s cardiology and heart surgery specialty is ranked among the top 25 in the country.

“Being continuously ranked among the top 25 heart programs in the nation is a significant honor and speaks to the skill, dedication, and commitment to excellence we strive to deliver every day to our patients,” the institute’s co-medical director Dr. Matthew Deedy said in a statement.

Among the nation’s children’s hospitals, Children’s Mercy is ranked nationally in 10 pediatric specialties: neonatology (No. 14); cancer (34); cardiology & heart surgery (19); diabetes and endocrinology (22); gastroenterology and GI surgery (28); nephrology (4); neurology and neurosurgery (18); orthopedics (30); pulmonology and lung surgery (24) and urology (17).

The greatest concentration of top hospitals tends to be in larger urban areas — Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City. But the rankings also spotlight Best Regional Hospitals in areas such as the Ozarks in Arkansas, the Bluegrass region of Kentucky and the Florida Panhandle.

The 20 best hospitals in the country earn a spot on the annual honor roll. The top five hospitals this year are: Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, at No. 1, followed by Cleveland Clinic; UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles; Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore; and Massachusetts General, Boston.

“For most illnesses, patients do not need to go to an Honor Roll hospital, which may require traveling away from home and paying expenses for out-of-network care,” said U.S. News.

“All rankings and ratings should be seen as just a starting point for patients who are considering, with input from their doctors, where to seek care. Individual diagnosis, insurance coverage and personal priorities are important factors in making a personal best choice.”