The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital is the best hospital in Alabama, according to the 2018-19 rankings from U.S. News & World Report.
Four medical specialties at UAB Hospital are ranked in the top 20 in the nation, according to the report, and six more are ranked in the top 50. Three other specialties are listed as "high-performing" in the best hospitals rankings released today.
"Consumers have many choices when deciding where to turn for health care, and UAB's continued recognition as the best hospital in Alabama and one of the leading academic medical institutions in the nation is a reflection of the quality of care delivered by our faculty and staff day after day," said Will Ferniany, chief executive officer of UAB Health System. "The consistent excellence of our patient care, our cutting-edge research and innovative therapies mark UAB as the destination of choice in Alabama, the Southeast and beyond."
Huntsville Hospital was ranked the No. 2 best hospital in Alabama, according to U.S. News & World Report. Mobile Infirmary Medical Center and St. Vincent's Birmingham Hospital came in at third and fourth best, respectively, in the state. None of these hospitals have ranked specialties.
In the 2018-19 rankings and ratings, U.S. News compared more than 4,500 medical centers nationwide in 16 specialties and 9 procedures and conditions. The rankings are based largely or entirely on objective measures such as risk-adjusted survival and readmission rates, volume, patient experience, patient safety and quality of nursing, among other care-related indicators.
UAB Hospital's specialties ranked in the top 20 in the nation are: Rheumatology (10), Nephrology (13), Pulmonology (16), Cardiology and Heart Surgery (18). Those in the top 50 are Gynecology (25), Diabetes and Endocrinology (28), Ear, Nose and Throat (29), Urology (34), Neurology and Neurosurgery (36), and Geriatrics (42).
Orthopedics, Cancer and Gastroenterology/GI Surgery were listed as high-performing at UAB. Six UAB programs moved up in the rankings over 2017, with the biggest jumps seen in Ear, Nose and Throat and in Cardiology, according to the university hospital.
U.S. News & World Report also ranks hospitals in adult procedures/conditions. UAB was ranked high-performing -- the highest ranking conferred -- in seven adult procedures/conditions: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, colon cancer surgery and lung cancer surgery.
Huntsville Hospital was ranked high-performing in these six procedures/conditions: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, colon cancer surgery, heart failure, heart bypass surgery, aortic valve surgery and abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.
According to U.S. News & World Report, Mobile Infirmary Medical Center was high-performing in these procedures/conditions: health failure, colon cancer surgery and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The hospital was below average in aortic valve surgery.
St. Vincent's was high-performing in heart failure, hip replacement surgery and knee replacement surgery.