Methodist Medical Center ranked sixth-best in Tennessee

All three of Covenant Health’s major hospitals—Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, Fort Sanders Regional, and Parkwest Medical Center—have been named among the best hospitals in Tennessee by U.S. News and World Report. Each is ranked in the Top 10, a press release said.

Methodist Medical Center is ranked sixth-best in the state, the release said.

It said the annual Best Hospitals ranking recognizes hospitals that excel in treating the most challenging patients.

“It is gratifying that Methodist has once again ranked very highly in the state by U.S. News and World Report,” said Methodist Medical Center President and Chief Administrative Officer Mike Belbeck. “Overall, based on their criteria, we were the sixth-highest ranked hospital in the state and second locally. Congratulations to our staff and physicians on receiving this external validation of the excellent care we provide to our patients each and every day.”

For the past several years, Covenant Health has been named among the top health systems in the country, and its hospitals and medical facilities are known for quality and award-winning care, according to Covenant Health President and Chief Executive Officer Tony Spezia.

“We are very proud of our physicians, nurses, and employees who work diligently to provide excellent care for our patients, who are ultimately the true beneficiaries of the awards,” Spezia said.

The release said U.S. News evaluates hospitals in 16 adult specialties. In most specialties, it ranks the nation’s top 50 hospitals and recognizes other high-performing hospitals that provide care at nearly the level of their nationally ranked peers.

“A hospital that emerges from our analysis as one of the best has much to be proud of,” said Avery Comarow, U.S. News Health Rankings Editor. “Only about 15 percent of hospitals are recognized for their high performance as among their region’s best. Just 3 percent of all hospitals earn a national ranking in any specialty.”

The press release said U.S. News publishes Best Hospitals to help guide patients who need a high level of care because they face particularly difficult surgery, a challenging condition, or added risk because of other health problems or age. Objective measures such as patient survival and safety data, the adequacy of nurse staffing levels, and other data largely determined the rankings in most specialties.

The specialty rankings and data were produced for U.S. News by RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Using the same data, U.S. News produced the state and metro rankings.

The rankings have been published at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals and will appear in print in the U.S. News Best Hospitals 2014 guidebook, available in bookstores and on newsstands Aug. 27.