Stanford Hospital ranked among top 20 hospitals nationwide by U.S. News & World Report

Recognizing Stanford Health Care’s commitment to safety and quality, U.S. News & World Report has included Stanford Hospital on the 2020-21 Best Hospitals Honor Roll.

The honor roll ranks the leading 20 hospitals nationwide.

“We’re proud to again be recognized as one of the top hospitals in the country,” said David Entwistle, president and CEO of Stanford Health Care. “Our successes are a direct reflection of the tireless dedication, courage and compassion of Stanford Health Care’s faculty and staff.”

“Providing high-quality, equitable care to patients in the Bay Area and beyond is core to Stanford Medicine’s mission,” said Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the Stanford School of Medicine. “Earning a place on the U.S. News & World Report honor roll affirms our talented faculty and staff’s commitment to delivering the best possible outcomes for patients through a high-tech, high-touch approach to medicine.”

The U.S. News & World Report recognition follows a number of other accolades that Stanford Health Care and Stanford Hospital have received for safety and excellence, including:

·      Being named a top 15 major teaching hospital by Fortune and IBM Watson Health.

·      Earning an “A” grade from The Leapfrog Group for hospital safety.

·      Receiving five stars (the highest score) on Hospital Compare, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ health care quality site.  

In addition, Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Health Care, was ranked in the top 10% of academic medical centers by Vizient Inc.

This is Stanford Health Care’s sixth year on the honor roll. The ranking is based on performance in 16 specialties and 10 procedures and conditions. It factors in patient outcomes, reputation among peers, patient volume and several other considerations. 

Overall, the hospital ranked 13th nationally. It ranked first in the San Jose area and fourth in California. 

This year, Stanford Health Care’s ranking improved in nine of the 16 specialties, including cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, geriatrics, nephrology, ophthalmology, pulmonology and lung surgery, and urology. 

The rankings are a source of pride.

Stanford Health Care’s ranking for cardiology and heart surgery programs is on an upward trajectory, reaching ninth this year. The positive trend can be traced, in part, to increasing clinical volume, enhanced outcomes and a focus on complex operations performed at Stanford Hospital, including complicated valve repairs, minimally invasive surgeries, multi-organ transplantation, artificial heart device implantation and the use of innovative catheter-based technology, said Joseph Woo, MD, professor and chair of cardiothoracic surgery. As more patients are helped, word spreads about the program, boosting its reputation, he said. 

“The rankings are a source of pride,” Woo said. “We don’t work toward the rankings; we work toward making a difference in society, but it’s nice to see the progress we’re making.” 

Stanford Health Care’s success is also fueled by its location at Stanford University, Woo said. “We’re extraordinarily privileged to have the ability to integrate with scientists and engineers at a world-class institution. We’re delivering innovations directly to the operating room.” 

The latest honor arrives just months after the opening of the new 824,000-square-foot Stanford Hospital, and amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 “The long list of accolades we’ve earned this past year speaks volumes about our people, who continue to rise to new challenges to ensure that our patients receive exceptional care,” Entwistle said. “As our nation’s health care system continues to confront extraordinary challenges wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, I could not hope for a better team to navigate these difficult times.”