Sarasota hospital scores top six ranking in Fla.

SARASOTA — Sarasota Memorial Hospital moved up two spots in U.S News and World Report's rankings of the top hospitals in Florida, to sixth best in the state. The 806-bed acute care hospital also retained its No. 1 ranking among all medical facilities the Sarasota-Bradenton region.

The community hospital's gynecology department, moreover, placed 48th in the magazine's total nationwide survey. That department, according to the magazine, earned perfect scores in patient services, advanced technologies and gynecology patient volume. The main category that marred Sarasota Memorial's gynecology score was nurse staffing, which ranked low.

While gynecology was the only SMH department in the top 50 nationwide, the hospital did earn high-performing status in six other specialties based on national benchmarks. Those specialties include: diabetes and endocrinology; gastroenterology and GI Surgery; geriatrics; nephrology; orthopedics; and pulmonology.

SMH officials announced the results of the latest U.S. News and World Report hospital rankings in a release today. The magazine has produced its prominent list for 24 years. “While we are certainly pleased with the rankings, our true source of pride comes from the people who entrust us with their care,” Sarasota Memorial CEO Gwen MacKenzie says in the release. “As the region's only public and only safety net hospital, we are proud to set the benchmark for high quality care in our community.”

The magazine's list of top hospitals in Florida, where SMH ranked sixth, looked at data from each of the state's 271 hospitals. Florida Hospital in Orlando was the top ranked facility, with eight nationally ranked specialties. Tampa General Hospital finished in second place, with six nationally ranked specialties. Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, meanwhile, ranked eighth statewide, with one nationally ranked specialty, and the only other Gulf Coast medical center on the list was Naples Community Hospital, with one high-performing specialty. NCH tied with eight other hospitals for 22nd in Florida.