UCHealth Memorial Hospital secured its position atop the regional hospital rankings this week, earning the No. 1 ranking in southern Colorado for the fifth year in a row in U.S. News & World Report's "best-of" index, which is calculated using available hard data as well as softer metrics, including how patients rate their treatment experience.
U.S. News & World Report annually releases its Best Hospitals national and regional rankings, analyzing patient care data for roughly 5,000 U.S. hospitals and looking at factors such as patient volume, patient-to-provider ratios, health outcomes, risk-adjusted survival and death rates, readmission rates, and frequency of postoperative complications. The index was launched in 1990 as a way to help readers find the best medical care available.
The magazine ranked Memorial in the Springs as "high performing" in 10 procedures and conditions. In cardiology and cardiac surgery, the hospital was recognized for its performance in multiple procedures: aortic valve surgery, heart attack care, heart arrhythmia, heart bypass surgery, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair and pacemaker implantation. The hospital also was ranked high performing for spinal fusion, prostate cancer surgery, lung cancer surgery and ear, nose and throat surgery.
Overall, Memorial Hospital in the Springs was ranked Colorado's sixth-best hospital. Along with Memorial Hospital, two other UCHealth hospitals were ranked among Colorado's best in the Best Hospitals rankings. Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, another UCHealth hospital, tied for third-best hospital in the state.
The rankings also brought notable news from elsewhere in the UCHealth system. A 13-year winning streak was broken when University of Colorado Hospital was revealed to have slipped a spot to No. 2, behind Intermountain Health St. Joseph, the Denver metro hospital founded three years before Colorado achieved statehood.
UCHealth responded to the announcement in a Monday press release lauding its leadership and staff of dedicated providers. "Our caregivers, physicians and staff are committed to providing compassionate, high-quality care to every patient and family we serve," said Lonnie Cramer, president and CEO of UCHealth's southern Colorado region. "This recognition reflects the expertise and collaboration that help us deliver exceptional care every day."
U.S. News & World Report's full national rankings, covering specialty and procedure-level performance data across all ranked institutions, remain available for review as health systems and patients assess the complete results of this year's evaluation cycle.