UAMS Designated a 2024-2025 Best Hospital; Rated High-Performing in Nine Areas
| U.S. News & World Report has named the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as a 2024-2025 Best Hospital.
In the magazine’s annual Best Hospitals edition, released today, UAMS was named Best Hospital in the Little Rock metropolitan area, in a tie with Baptist Health Medical Center.
UAMS also received “high performing” designations for the following nine treatments or procedures:
- Colon cancer surgery
- Heart failure
- Hip fracture
- Hip replacement
- Knee replacement
- Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma
- Lung cancer surgery
- Pneumonia
- Stroke
“We are dedicated to providing the best possible care for our patients, and we appreciate the recognition of our efforts overall and in these nine specific areas,” said Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, UAMS chancellor and chief executive officer of UAMS Health.
Michelle Krause, M.D., MPH, senior vice chancellor for UAMS Health and chief executive officer for UAMS Medical Center, agreed.
“We are always grateful to be recognized for the care and expertise we put into each of these treatments and procedures,” she said. “Our health care professionals use a multi-disciplinary team approach to ensure that our patients’ health concerns are addressed from all angles and that the treatments we provide are harmonious with each other. We place an emphasis on treating the whole patient and appreciate that our clinical outcomes reflect that extra effort.”
The high performing rating is the highest distinction a hospital can earn in the U.S. News Best Hospitals Procedures and Condition ratings.
“The High Performing designation acknowledges hospitals that consistently deliver high-quality care for specific medical procedures and conditions,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “This recognition highlights their expertise and commitment to patient well-being.”
U.S. News evaluated nearly 5,000 hospitals across 15 specialties and 20 procedures and conditions to compile the Best Hospitals ratings. Hospitals such as UAMS that received a “Best” designation were those that received high performing ratings across multiple areas of care.
Only 11% of evaluated hospitals earned a Best Hospitals ranking, using factors such as clinical outcomes, level of nursing care and patient experience.
This marks the second consecutive year in which UAMS was named high performing in eight of the nine categories. The high performance rating for hip fracture was added this year to the treatments and procedures in which UAMS excels above the national average, according to the national evaluation.
The annual report is compiled to assist patients and their health care providers in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions or elective procedures.
Last month, U.S. News also named the UAMS Medical Center as an inaugural “Best Regional Hospital for Equitable Access.”
That award recognized 53 health care institutions that the magazine said excel in quality and provide substantial access to care to socioeconomically disadvantaged patients.
UAMS was the only hospital in Arkansas included on the list, which spanned 26 states.
“As the state’s only academic health system, we have an incredible obligation to the people of Arkansas,” Krause said. “Recognitions like this offer a clear indication that we are fulfilling our obligation.”
To determine the Best Hospitals, U.S. News evaluated each hospital’s performance on objective measures such as risk-adjusted mortality rates, preventable complications and level of nursing care. It also measured patient outcomes using data from millions of records provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The magazine refined its methodology this year to incorporate new data on care provided to patients with Medicare Advantage insurance and care provided to outpatients, which nearly doubled the number of patients included in its annual data analysis.
Procedures and conditions were evaluated entirely on objective quality measures.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,275 students, 890 medical residents and fellows, and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.
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