U.S. News and World Report Ranks St. Peter’s Hospital Very High for Quality of Care

U.S. News & World Report (USN&WR) has awarded St. Peter’s Hospital (SPH) its highest ranking in the Capital Region and one of the highest in upstate New York for excellent quality of care.

In rating 4,743 hospitals nationally on key indicators of patient care, the magazine placed St. Peter’s Hospital ninth among nearly 250 hospitals in New York state and the highest in the Capital Region. (The University of Rochester Medical Center, ranked sixth in the state, was the only upstate program above St. Peter’s.)

For gastroenterology and GI surgery, SPH ranked 36th nationally and was the only upstate center to be nationally ranked in that specialty.

USN&WR ranks 16 adult specialties in total – 12 according to patient care data provided to the federal government (and other elements, such as whether it has a Magnet Hospital designation for nursing services) and another four by reputation only.

Of the nearly 5,000 hospitals evaluated, SPH was one of just 144 to earn a top national ranking in any of the 16 specialties for adult services. No other Capital Region hospital had a top national ranking in any specialty for adults.

Ann Errichetti, MD, MBA, CEO of St. Peter’s Hospital, said, “I’m delighted that our consistently high quality of care and dedication to patient satisfaction has been recognized by this distinguished national ranking for GI services. It’s an honor shared by our entire staff.”

For gastroenterology and GI surgery, SPH had excellent performance in such key indicators as patient survival rates; patient safety; volume, with 3,291 high-risk Medicare inpatients from 2010-12 in key specialty-related procedures; and diagnoses.

SPH also ranked as “high performing” in 10 other specialties: cancer; diabetes and endocrinology; ear, nose and throat; geriatrics; gynecology; nephrology; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; pulmonology; and urology.

SPH also reported high degrees of patient satisfaction. On a recent federal survey, 74 percent of St. Peter’s patients overall said they would recommend the hospital to friends and family, compared to a 65 percent average in the state and 71 percent nationally.

At SPH, the Gastroenterology department addresses the entire gastrointestinal (GI) tract, also known as the digestive system. The GI specialists address an extensive list of conditions and diseases—from Barrett’s esophagus to swallowing problems and acid reflux to ulcer, inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer and irritable bowel disease. The Advanced Endoscopy and Hipatobiliary Center at SPH focuses closely on treating disorders and diseases of the biliary system, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder. The Advanced Endoscopy and Hipatobiliary Center performs more advanced endoscopy procedures than any other facility in New York state.

A team of gastroenterologists utilizes the most advanced technology in a specialized operating suite equipped with the latest medical imaging technology and equipment for minimally invasive procedures, endoscopies, colonoscopies and other gastroenterological diagnostic procedures and interventional procedures.

The U.S. News article may be seen via this link: http://health.usnews.com/besthospitals/area/ny