Mary Washington Rated 'High Performing' in 11 Areas

U.S. News & World Report's ranking of hospitals has high praise for Mary Washington Health Care in 11 adult procedures and conditions. Nurse staffing is a concern.

By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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Photo by Natanael Melchor on Unsplash

Editor’s Note: In the interest of full disclosure, this article’s author formerly worked at U.S. News & World Report as a senior editor in the automotive vertical.

Mary Washington Hospital received high praise on Tuesday when it announced the latest ratings released by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals team.

The hospital was rated high performing in 11 adult procedures and conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, heart attack, heart failure, hip replacement, kidney failure, knee replacement, lung cancer surgery, pneumonia, prostate cancer surgery, and stroke.

U.S. News rates hospitals based on data in 12 specialty areas. Each specialty area of care is then broken out into specific procedures and conditions.

Mary Washington was scored in nine of the 12 specialty areas. The Top 50 hospitals in each specialty area received a ranking. A smaller number of hospitals are recognized as “high-performing” in each specialty area. A third level of hospitals receive a “score.” Most hospitals did not qualify for a score, “high-performing” recognition, or a ranking because they “did not treat a significant volume of complex cases in this specialty.”

Mary Washington’s recognitions for high performing services were in 11 of the procedures and conditions areas rated.

The specialty areas, and the links to Mary Washington’s performance in each — including the specific procedures and conditions — follows:

• Cancer

• Cardiology, heart & vascular surgery

• Diabetes & endocrinology

• Ear, nose & throat

• Gastroenterology & GI surgery

• Geriatrics

• Obstetrics and gynecology

• Neurology and neurosurgery

• Orthopedics

• Pulmonology & lung surgery

• Rehabilitation

• Urology

Regional Recognition

Mary Washington was also recognized as one of the best Regional Hospitals in Virginia. U.S. News & World Report evaluated 120 hospitals in the state. The top 15 were:

• Inova Fairfax Hospital (First)

• VCU Medical Center (Second)

• Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital (Third)

• Sentara Norfolk General Hospital (Third - tie)

• University of Virginia Medical Center (Third - tie)

• Virginia Hospital Center (Sixth)

• Mary Washington Hospital (Seventh)

• Winchester Medical Center (Seventh - tie)

• Henrico Doctors’ Hospitals (Ninth)

• Sentara Leigh Hospital (Ninth - tie)

• Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals (Eleventh)

• Inova Fair Oaks Hospital (Eleventh - tie)

• Sentara Virginia Beach Regional Hospital (Eleventh - tie)

• Chesapeake Regional Medical Center (Fourteenth)

• Centra Lynchburg General Hospital (Fifteenth)

“This recognition is a reflection of the commitment of our physicians and staff to excellence in caring for our patients every day,” said Mike McDermott, MD, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Mary Washington Healthcare. “Mary Washington Hospital’s high ranking in the state as well as the Washington DC metropolitan area validates our dedication to providing the best possible care to our community.” 

Nursing

While Mary Washington scored well in most areas of specialty, one consistent area of concern highlighted by the U.S. News & World Report analysis is nurse staffing.

U.S. News & World Report factors nurse staffing into its rankings, stating that “More nursing care per patient is associated with better outcomes and better patient experience.”

However, in each of the nine specialty areas where Mary Washington is scored, nurse staffing was rated “below average” on a five-point scale that ranges from Poor, to Below Average, Average, Above Average, and Excellent.

“As always,” says the authors of the Best Hospitals ratings, “these ratings should be taken as a starting point. All care decisions should be made in conjunction with medical professionals.”

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