NORFOLK, VA. (July 19, 2011) – For 12 years now, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and Sentara Heart Hospital rank among the nation’s best heart programs. Listed 47th in the U.S. News & World Report's 2011-12 Best Hospitals, it is the only hospital in Virginia to be ranked among the top 50.
Hospitals on the list are evaluated based upon their national reputation among specialists, survival rates, patient safety measures, patient volume and nurse staffing. Whether a hospital is part of the Magnet Recognition Program®, administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and an affiliate of the American Nurses Association, is also a factor in the rankings.
U.S. News & World Report evaluated more than 4,800 hospitals across the country and its Best Hospitals 2011-12 represents 140 medical centers nationwide in 16 specialties.
Citing teamwork and an ongoing commitment to safe, high quality patient care, Joseph Butz, administrator for Sentara Heart Hospital, expressed his appreciation for the Sentara Heart physicians and staff.
“We continue to focus on delivering the highest quality patient care and we are once again pleased to be counted among the nation’s best,” said Butz. “Our doctors, nurses and all the staff work hard to elevate the level of cardiac care in this region. We are fortunate to hear from so many patients who appreciate the skill and compassion of our team.”
U.S. News & World Report national rankings judge hospitals on their competence in highly skilled levels of inpatient care. Performing well on high risk patient populations is, according to US News, what sets these hospitals apart from others and differentiates between its ranking and many others that exist to measure patient care.
In addition to the national recognitions, U.S. News introduced regional rankings earlier this year and updated that list with the release of its national best. For the Hampton Roads region, four Sentara hospitals are regionally recognized. In addition, Sentara Potomac Hospital in Woodbridge, Virginia was recognized in the Washington, DC metro region rankings.
While the regional ranking is slightly different, it uses the same methodology as the national ranking. Broken into regional geographies of metropolitan areas of 500,000 population, regional rankings are designed to help consumers differentiate facilities that may not provide a level of care that is nationally ranked. Providers included on the list may be considered among the nation’s best, or they are high performing in the region they serve. According to U.S. News & World Report, all providers included in the list demonstrate a strong record of high performance for most conditions and procedures in one or more specialties.
Related Links:
U.S. News & World Report's 2011-12 Best Hospitals
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
Sentara Heart Hospital
Sentara Potomac Hospital
Sentara Quality and Patient Safety
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