The 16 best hospitals in Georgia, according to US News

Emory University Hospital ranked No. 1 among Georgia hospitals for the eighth year in a row, according to the U.S. News & World Report 2019-2020 Best Hospitals Guide.

To determine the top Georgia hospitals, part of its "Best Regional Hospitals" breakdown, U.S. News analysts identified the institutions that were either nationally ranked in one of 16 specialties, had three or more high-performing ratings in a specialty or three or more ratings in the nine procedures and conditions. They also determined scores based on several factors, such as patient survival outcome, nurse staffing and more.

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All 4,653 community hospitals included in American Hospital Association’s fiscal year 2017 were automatically considered for ranking, though hospitals had to satisfy multiple requirements to be eligible in a given specialty, according to US News.

The 16 specialties included:

• cancer
• cardiology and heart surgery
• diabetes and endocrinology
• ear, nose and throat
• gastroenterology and GI surgery
• geriatrics
• gynecology
• nephrology
• neurology and neurosurgery
• ophthalmology
• orthopedics
• pulmonology and lung surgery
• psychiatry
• rehabilitation
• rheumatology
• urology

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And the nine procedures:

• colon cancer surgery
• lung cancer surgery
• heart bypass surgery
• aortic valve surgery
• abdominal aortic aneurysm repair
• hip replacement
• knee replacement
• heart failure
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Any Honor Roll hospitals in a given region — those deemed the top 21 for high-performing procedure and condition ratings — automatically outranked the non-Honor Roll establishments. No Georgia hospital made that cut.

But Emory University Hospital in Atlanta nationally ranked in nine different adult specialties and was the top regionally ranked hospital in the state. The facility also boasts “very high” nurse staffing, a factor associated with better outcomes and better patient experience.

Of the nearly 175 hospitals in Georgia, 15 others met high standards in the 2019 ranking.

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Here are the 16 best hospitals in Georgia, according to U.S. News:

1. Emory University Hospital (Atlanta)

• Nationally ranked in cancer, cardiology/heart surgery, diabetes/endocrinology, gastroenterology & GI surgery, geriatrics, gynecology, nephrology, neurology/neurosurgery and urology
• High performing in two adult specialties and nine procedures/conditions

2. Emory St. Joseph's Hospital (Atlanta)

• High performing in seven specialties and nine procedures and conditions

3. Piedmont Atlanta Hospital (Atlanta)

• High performing in two specialties and nine procedures and conditions

4. Northeast Georgia Medical Center (Gainesville)

• High performing in eight procedures and conditions

5. (tie) Emory University Hospital Midtown (Atlanta)

• Nationally ranked in ear, nose and throat
• High performing in five procedures and conditions

5. (tie) Northside Hospital-Atlanta

• High performing in one specialty and six procedures and conditions

5. (tie) WellStar Kennestone Hospital (Marietta)

• High performing in seven procedures and conditions

8. Gwinnett Medical Center (Lawrenceville)

• High performing in six procedures and conditions

9. (tie) Memorial Health University Medical Center (Savannah)

• High performing in five procedures and conditions

9. (tie) Northside Hospital-Forsyth (Cumming)

• High performing in five procedures and conditions

9. (tie) University Hospital (Augusta)

• High performing in five procedures and conditions

12. (tie) Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center (Athens)

• High performing in four procedures and conditions

12. (tie) St. Joseph’s Hospital (Savannah)

• High performing in one adult specialty and four procedures and conditions

14. Wellstar Cobb Hospital (Austell)

• High performing in three procedures and conditions

15. (tie) Navicent Health Medical Center (Macon)