Washington Regional named state’s top hospital

FAYETTEVILLE — Washington Regional Medical Center has been recognized as the No. 1 hospital in Arkansas on the U.S. News & World Report 202324 Best Hospitals list for the third consecutive year, according to a news release from the hospital.

The annual Best Hospitals rankings are designed to assist patients and their doctors in choosing where to receive quality care for challenging health conditions or elective procedures, the release states.

Washington Regional Medical Center was also named the Best Hospital in the Ozark Region for a fifth consecutive year.

“Washington Regional’s vision is to be both the best place for our patients to receive care and the best place for our team members to give that care. Washington Regional has led the way in high quality health care in Northwest Arkansas since 1950, and these national rankings show that once again, Arkansans can count on Washington Regional to provide high performing care for many of the most serious health conditions affecting our population,” said Washington Regional President and CEO Larry Shackelford in the release.

The release says that for this year’s rankings and ratings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 hospitals across 15 specialties and 21 procedures and conditions; only 12% of evaluated hospitals earned a Best Hospitals ranking.

The publication designated Washington Regional as high performing for 12 procedures and conditions — more than any other hospital in the state, according to the release.

A high-performing designation indicates a hospital performed significantly better than the national average in a given procedure or condition.