US News & World Report names Fletcher Allen a 'Best Regional Hospital' for 2nd year

For the second year in a row, U.S. News & World Report has designated Fletcher Allen a Best Regional Hospital.  The magazine also named twenty-one physicians in the UVM Medical Group to its Top Doctors list and recognized five specialties as High Performing.  Twelve of the physicians on the Top Doctors list were ranked in the best 1% of specialists in the nation. (see list below). 

Vermont’s academic medical center was also selected for the US News Most Connected list for the second consecutive year, indicating it is one of the leading hospitals in the nation in the adoption of electronic medical records. 

The five specialty areas ranked as High Performing are Orthopedics, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Gynecology and Nephrology.  To be included on this list, the quality of care must be on the same level as that provided by nationally ranked hospitals. 

“We’re very proud to be able to bring nationally ranked physicians, advanced specialty care and leading edge technology to the people of Vermont and northern New York, and pleased that U.S. News has determined the high value care we provide is as good as can be found almost anywhere else in the country,” said John Brumsted, MD, president and chief executive officer of Fletcher Allen Health Care. 

“All of these hospitals are the kinds of medical centers that should be on your list when you need the best care,” said U.S. News Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow.  “They are where other hospitals send the toughest cases.” 

Electronic Medical Record System Among Best in the Nation

Fletcher Allen landed in the top 6% of hospitals that “are in the vanguard of centers leading medicine into the era of electronic medical records” earning it a place on the U.S. News Most Connected list.  It is the only hospital in Vermont, New Hampshire and upstate New York included in this grouping. 

Most Connected hospitals must meet federal requirements for e-prescribing, exchanging medical records, supplying medical data to patients, and providing data for monitoring clinical quality. 

The Best Regional Hospital recognition adds to a list of positive quality ratings from national organizations that Fletcher Allen has received in the past year. These include: 

• UHC - an alliance of the nation’s leading nonprofit academic medical centers - ranked Fletcher Allen in the Top 20 Academic Medical Centers for quality and patient safety. 

• Vermont Children’s Hospital was selected as a U.S. News Best Children’s Hospital. 

• The Joint Commission - the organization contracted by the federal government to accredit health care institutions - described Fletcher Allen as a “high-quality organization with best-in-class practices” at the conclusion of a week-long inspection. 

Methodology for Best Regional Hospitals

U.S. News and World Report surveyed nearly 10,000 specialists and analyzed nearly 5,000 hospitals to rank the best in 16 adult specialties. The rankings are published in collaboration with RTI International in Research Triangle Park, N.C.  For more information visit http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals 

Video Segment: Dr. Stephen Leffler, Fletcher Allen’s Chief Medical Officer, reacts to the news and discusses key efforts made at Fletcher Allen to constantly improve quality of care. 

Fletcher Allen Physicians on US News & World Report “Top Doctors” list for 2012 

NOTE: Physicians on this list are determined to be in the top 10% in their region.

►denotes that a doctor is among the top 1% in the nation in his or her specialty.

About Fletcher Allen Health Care

Fletcher Allen Health Care, together with our partners at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, is Vermont’s academic medical center. Fletcher Allen and Central Vermont Medical Center are members of Fletcher Allen Partners, established to develop a more coordinated system of care throughout the region. Fletcher Allen’s mission is to improve the health of the people in the communities it serves by integrating patient care, education and research in a caring environment. Fletcher Allen also serves as a regional referral center -- providing advanced care to approximately one million people in Vermont and northern New York -- and as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties. For more information about Fletcher Allen, find us online at http://www.fletcherallen.org or on our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blog sites at www.fletcherallen.org/socialmedia.