Banner Baywood Medical Center and Banner Heart Hospital are in the top 12 of the U.S. News and World Report’s first Best Hospitals metro area rankings.
The new rankings recognize 622 hospitals in or near major cities with a record of high performance in key medical specialties, including 132 of the 152 hospitals already identified as the best in the nation. There are nearly 5,000 hospitals nationwide. The rankings are available online at www.usnews.com/hospitals.
U.S. News created Best Hospitals more than 20 years ago to identify hospitals exceptionally skilled in handling the most difficult cases, such as brain tumors typically considered inoperable, and delicate pancreatic procedures.
The new metro area rankings are relevant to a much wider range of healthcare consumers. They are aimed primarily at consumers whose care may not demand the special expertise found only at a nationally ranked Best Hospital. Patients and their families will have a far better chance of finding a U.S. News-ranked hospital in their health insurance network and might not have to travel far to get care at a high-performing hospital.
To be ranked in its metro area, a hospital had to score in the top 25 percent among its peers in at least one of 16 medical specialties. Other
Banner hospitals ranked in the top 12 are: Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in central Phoenix (ranked number one); Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa; Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale; Banner Estrella Medical Center in west Phoenix; Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center in Sun City West; and Banner Boswell Medical Center in Sun City.
“All of these hospitals provide first-rate care for the majority of patients, even those with serious conditions or who need demanding procedures,” says Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. “The new Best Hospitals metro rankings can tell you which hospitals are worth considering for most medical problems if you live in or near a major metro area.”