By Allison Perry
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 26, 2022) — The University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital at UK HealthCare earned the ranking of the No. 1 hospital in Kentucky and recognized in the Bluegrass Region by the 2022-23 Best Hospitals rankings and ratings from U.S. News & World Report, tied with St. Elizabeth Healthcare. This marks the seventh consecutive year UK HealthCare has received the Best Hospital ranking.
“This ranking recognizes the incredible work and dedication of our physicians, nurses and health care providers who spend every day caring for patients from across the state,” said Mark F. Newman, M.D., UK executive vice president for health affairs. “In 1962, UK’s Albert B. Chandler Medical Center first opened its doors with the goal of improving access to high-quality health care for Kentucky. Sixty years later, we continue to uphold that promise to the Commonwealth, offering world-class advanced subspecialty care for the most complex health problems for all Kentuckians.”
Additionally, the UK Markey Cancer Center moved up to No. 33 in its U.S. News Top 50 national ranking for cancer care, tied with the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute. This makes the sixth consecutive year Markey has been ranked in the U.S. News Top 50. Markey has been a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center since 2013, the only one in Kentucky and one of just 71 in the country.
“In Kentucky, we have the highest rates of cancer in the country, and this issue is especially pronounced in Eastern Kentucky and Appalachia,” said Mark Evers, M.D., director of the UK Markey Cancer Center. “Nowhere in the country is it more important for people to have access to complex and compassionate cancer care. This ranking is a testament to the hard work of Markey’s health care providers and staff, who are committed to ensuring that no patient has to travel outside the state for the care they need.”
UK HealthCare was also ranked as high-performing in two U.S. News adult specialties: Gastroenterology & GI Surgery and Geriatrics. Ten common adult procedures and conditions also received a high-performing designation: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Colon Cancer Surgery, Heart Attack, Heart Bypass Surgery, Heart Failure, Kidney Failure, Lung Cancer Surgery, Ovarian Cancer Surgery, Pneumonia and Stroke.
The annual Best Hospitals rankings and ratings, now in their 33rd year, are designed to assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions or for common elective procedures.
For the 2022-23 rankings and ratings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 hospitals across 15 specialties and 20 procedures and conditions. For the first time, U.S. News rated eligible hospitals in Ovarian Cancer Surgery, Prostate Cancer Surgery and Uterine Cancer Surgery. In the 15 specialties, 164 hospitals were ranked in at least one specialty. State and metro area rankings reflect the highest performing hospitals in the area across multiple areas of care.
U.S. News evaluated each hospital’s performance using a variety of measures such as survival rates, complication rates, patient experience and level of nursing care. The Best Hospitals methodology factors in data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, American Hospital Association, professional organizations and medical specialists.
The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity, and INSIGHT into Diversity recognized us as a Diversity Champion four years running. UK is ranked among the top 30 campuses in the nation for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been judged a “Great College to Work for” three years in a row, and UK is among only 22 universities in the country on Forbes’ list of “America’s Best Employers.” We are ranked among the top 10 percent of public institutions for research expenditures — a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on discovery that changes lives and communities. And our patients know and appreciate the fact that UK HealthCare has been named the state’s top hospital for five straight years. Accolades and honors are great. But they are more important for what they represent: the idea that creating a community of belonging and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not simply the University of Kentucky, but the University for Kentucky.