University of Colorado falls off list of the best hospitals

The University of Colorado Hospital is no longer among the top 20 hospitals in the nation, according to the latest ranking by U.S. News & World Report.

The University of Colorado Hospital has fallen off the list after becoming the first Colorado hospital to be listed on U.S. News’ “Best Hospitals Honor Roll” two years ago. The facility ranked as the 20th best hospital in 2016 before moving to the 15th slot in 2017.

Dr. Jeffrey Glasheen, chief quality officer for UCHealth and University of Colorado Hospital, said the hospital’s drop in the ranking is the result of U.S. News changing its measures for the ranking rather than the facility’s performance.

“We actually believe we performed at a higher level this year,” he said.

The best hospital in the U.S. is the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., followed by the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, according U.S. News.

For the ranking, U.S. News looks at measures such as survival and readmission rates, patient experience, patient safety and quality of nursing. The ranking, which is in its 29th year, compared more than 4,500 medical centers across the nation.

While it may not hold one of the top 20 spots in the nation, University of Colorado Hospital is listed as the best facility in the state, according to U.S. News.

“I would say, overall, we are very proud of our performance,” Glasheen said.

The hospital is followed by Porter Adventist Hospital in

Denver and Parker Adventist Hospital in Parker, both of which are under Centura Health’s umbrella. Rose Medical Center in Denver places fourth in the state, followed by UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, according to U.S. News.

University of Colorado Hospital, alongside National Jewish Health in Denver, were ranked the best hospital in the nation in the specialty of pulmonology, which deals with the respiratory system. The two hospitals are academic affiliates.