Achieving Excellence With Quality Care

Quality Awards and Other Achievements

UHS Acute Care facilities are focused on delivering high-quality, compassionate care and received numerous awards and honors for excellence in patient experience and safety.

  • In 2023, 12 UHS Acute Care hospitals earned an “A” or “B” safety grade from The Leapfrog Group, recognizing our commitment to protecting patients from harm and to meeting the highest safety standards. They included: Aiken Regional Medical Centers (South Carolina), Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center (Nevada), The George Washington University Hospital (District of Columbia), Henderson Hospital (Nevada), Lakewood Ranch Medical Center (Florida), Northern Nevada Medical Center (Nevada), Northwest Texas Healthcare System (Texas), Palmdale Regional Medical Center (California), St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center (Oklahoma), Temecula Valley Hospital (California), Texoma Medical Center (Texas) and Valley Hospital Medical Center (Nevada). Fall 2023 was the 11th rating period that both Henderson Hospital and Temecula Valley Hospital earned the top “A” grade. St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center earned its 10th consecutive “A” in Spring 2023.
  • In 2023, Cornerstone Regional Hospital1 was named Top General Hospital by The Leapfrog Group for outstanding quality and safety. Lakewood Ranch Medical Center was awarded this designation in 2021, the same year Henderson Hospital was named a Top Teaching Hospital.
  • South Texas Health System and The George Washington University Hospital earned U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-2024 Best Regional Hospital designation for McAllen Metro and Washington D.C. Metro areas, respectively.
  • In these same U.S. News & World Report 2023-2024 Best Hospital Rankings, 22 out of the 24 UHS Acute Care facilities evaluated earned at least one High Performing designation. The George Washington University Hospital earned the most (three adult specialties and 10 adult procedures and conditions), followed by South Texas Health System (seven adult procedures/conditions).
  • In 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center was one of 429 hospitals to earn a Five-Star Overall Rating based on its performance across key quality measures (e.g., safety of care, readmission rate, mortality, timely and effective care and patient experience).
  • St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center ranked among Newsweek/Statista World’s Best Hospitals 2024 for the fourth consecutive year. The list is based on recommendations from medical experts, results from patient surveys, hospital quality metrics and an online survey on implementation/use of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs).
  • In 2023, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center earned Healthgrades® Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ for overall patient experience based on nine measures related to doctor and nurse communication, hospital cleanliness and noise levels, and medication and post-discharge care instructions. St. Mary’s also was listed among Women’s Choice Awards’ 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience in 2023 and 2024.
  • ER at Fruitville, an extension of Lakewood Ranch Medical Center earned Press Ganey’s Human Experience (HX) Guardian of Excellence Award – Emergency Department Site for Patient Experience in 2022 and 2023.
  • Henderson Hospital, Temecula Valley Hospital and Texoma Medical Center earned Women’s Choice Awards for America’s Best Hospitals for Patient Safety in 2024.
  • The South Carolina Hospital Association awarded Aiken Regional Medical Centers four 2023 Zero Harm Awards in the following: Surgical site infection in Abdominal Hysterectomy, Central line bloodstream infection (CLABSI): Cardiac Unit, CLABSI: Acute Medical and Oncology Unit as well as CLABSI: Orthopedic and Stroke Unit.

1 Cornerstone Regional Hospital is co-owned with physician investors

Our Acute Care Division also attained the following quality awards and recognitions in the past three years:

Cardiology/Stroke

  • Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care
  • Healthgrades Top 10% in Nation for Cardiology Services; Top 10% in Nation for Coronary Interventional Procedures
  • Healthgrades Excellence Awards in Cardiac Care, Cardiac Surgery, Coronary Intervention and Stroke Care
  • Healthgrades Five Star Recipients for Coronary Bypass Surgery, Coronary Intervention and Heart Failure
  • The Joint Commission (TJC) Gold Seal of Approval for Advance Certification for Primary Stroke Center
  • TJC and American Heart Association® (AHA)/American Stroke Association’s® (ASA) Advanced Certification as a Primary Heart Attack Center
  • AHA’s Get With The Guidelines® Gold Plus Stroke with Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll
  • AHA/ASA’s Get With The Guidelines Gold Plus Heart Failure Award
  • TJC and AHA’s Heart-Check Mark for Acute Heart Attack Ready Certification
  • AHA Mission: Lifeline® Gold Plus STEMI Receiving Center Quality Achievement Award
  • AHA Mission: Lifeline Gold NSTEMI Quality Achievement Award
  • American College of Cardiology® HeartCARE Center National Distinction of Excellence designation
  • National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR)/American College of Cardiology, Chest Pain, MI Registry, Platinum Performance Achievement Award
  • U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital Ranking’s High Performing designation for Heart Attack, Heart Failure and Stroke
  • Women’s Choice Award for Heart Care and Stroke Centers

Orthopedics

  • TJC’s Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement
  • Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Joint Replacement
  • Healthgrades Five-Star Recipient for Hip Fracture Treatment
  • Newsweek/Statista’s America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers
  • Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation’s (now part of Netsmart) top 10% inpatient rehabilitation facilities in the United States
  • U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital Rankings’ High Performing designations for Hip Fracture, Hip Replacement and Knee Replacement
  • Women’s Choice Award for Orthopedics
  • Blue Distinction Center+ Designation from Blue Cross® Blue Shield® – Knee and Hip Replacement

Women’s Health

  • Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology’s Center of Excellence designation, recognizing just 70 institutions and programs worldwide that demonstrate excellence in obstetric anesthesia care, sets a benchmark level of expected care to improve the standards nationally, and provides a broad surrogate quality metric of institutions providing obstetric anesthesia care
  • American College of Obstetrics & Gynecologists-Texas’ Outstanding Maternal Quality award for maternal health achievements
  • Healthgrades Five-Star Recipient C-Section Delivery, Gynecologic Procedures and Hysterectomy
  • Healthgrades Gynecologic Surgery Excellence Award
  • Newsweek/Statista’s America’s Best Maternity Hospital  
  • U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals for Maternity Care (Uncomplicated Pregnancy)
  • Women’s Choice Award for America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics, Comprehensive Breast Cancer Center, Mammogram Imaging Center and Women’s Services
  • Blue Distinction Center Designation+ from Blue Cross Blue Shield – Maternity Care

Surgery

  • American College of Surgeons’ Level I and II Trauma Center designations
  • Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Gastrointestinal Surgery, General Surgery, Prostate Surgery and Spine Surgery
  • Healthgrades Specialty Excellence Awards in Cardiac Surgery, General Surgery, Gynecologic Surgery and Prostate Surgery
  • Healthgrades Five-Star Recipient for Appendectomy, Coronary Bypass Surgery, Gallbladder Removal Surgery, Hysterectomy and Spinal Fusion Surgery
  • Surgical Review Corporation’s Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery and Minimally Invasive Surgery accreditations
  • U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital Rankings’ High Performing designations for Back Surgery (Spinal Fusion), Lung Cancer Surgery, Prostate Cancer Surgery and Uterine Cancer Surgery
  • Women’s Choice Award for America’s Best Hospitals for Bariatric Surgery and Minimally Invasive Surgery

Other Therapy Classes

  • AHA/ASA’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Achievement Award
  • Healogics® Center of Distinction Award and Robert A. Warriner III, MD Center of Excellence Award and President’s Circle Award (Hyperbaric Medicine)
  • Healthgrades Excellence Award for Gastrointestinal Care
  • U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital Rankings’ High Performing designations for COPD, Diabetes, Kidney Failure and Pneumonia
  • Women’s Choice Award for America’s Best Hospitals for Emergency Care

Learn more about Quality at UHS →