U.Va. Medical Center snags No. 1 hospital rating for fifth year

U.S. News and World Report releases 2020-21 Best Hospitals rankings

Published July 28, 2020 by Sydney Lake

U.Va. Medical Center. Photo by Sanjay Suchak, courtesy U.Va. Health

University of Virginia Medical Center once again was ranked the best hospital in Virginia by U.S. News and World Report’s annual list of the best hospitals in the nation, which was released Tuesday.

“It is an honor to be ranked the No. 1 hospital in Virginia for the fifth consecutive year, and I want to congratulate and thank our entire team for their efforts to provide the highest-quality care for our patients in a wide array of specialties,” Dr. K. Craig Kent, U.Va. executive vice president for health affairs, said in a statement. “It is a privilege to serve patients from across Virginia.”

The 2020-2021 Best Hospitals rankings were determined by data from more than 4,500 medical centers and survey responses from more than 30,000 positions. Nationally, only 134 hospitals ranked in at least one of the specialties this year.

Nationally, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, ranked No. 1 on the 2020-21 Best Hospitals list. The teaching hospital is nationally ranked in 15 adult specialties and eight pediatric specialties, and its Department of Endocrinology is one of the world’s largest. The Mayo Clinic also has 57 research centers and employs more than 4,700 physicians.

The following are the top hospitals in Virginia:

1. University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville

2. VCU Medical Center, Richmond

T3. Centra Lynchburg General Hospital, Lynchburg

T3. Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church

T5. Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Roanoke

T5. Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Norfolk

7. Winchester Medical Center, Winchester

8. Virginia Hospital Center, Arlington

T9. Inova Alexandria Hospital, Alexandria

T9. Mary Washington Hospital, Fredericksburg

T9. Sentara Leigh Hospital, Norfolk

U.Va. Medical Center also nationally ranked No. 41 for the ear, nose and throat specialty, No. 41 for gynecology, No. 49 for neonatology, No. 37 for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery, No. 40 for pediatric diabetes and endocrinology, No. 43 for pediatric orthopedics and No. 43 for pediatric urology.

“These rankings and ratings highlight the breadth of excellent care our team is able to provide for patients of all ages,” Wendy Horton, U.Va. Health chief operating officer, said in a statement. “We stand ready to care for Virginia’s families.”

Ranked No. 2 in Virginia, VCU Medical Center ranked nationally for two adult specialties and four pediatric specialties. It also was ranked the No. 1 hospital in Richmond for the 10th consecutive year in the U.S. News and World Report Best Hospitals list.

“Being recognized as the No. 1 health care provider in Richmond so many times is a tribute to the incredible work of our team members,” interim VCU Health CEO Dr. Peter Buckley, senior vice president for health sciences at VCU, said in a statement. “It recognizes both our medical expertise as well as our unwavering commitment to advancing the health of all we serve — and doing so with the compassion and kindness so wonderfully demonstrated throughout this pandemic.”

Two Bon Secours hospitals followed VCU Health on the list of best hospitals in Richmond. Memorial Regional Medical Center ranked No. 2 in Richmond and No. 14 in Virginia, while St. Mary’s Hospital ranked No. 3 in Richmond and No. 17 in the state.

“Bon Secours is honored that Memorial Regional Medical Center and St. Mary’s Hospital have received the second- and third-place rankings in the Richmond area by U.S. News & World Report in its Best Hospitals listings, respectively,” Bon Secours Richmond President Faraaz Yousuf said in a statement. “This recognition speaks to the quality, compassionate care that our providers, nurses and clinical staff provide to our patients each and every day.”