Tuesday, July 15, 2014
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Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital ranks No. 4 in S.C. on U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals list
CHARLESTON, S.C. (July 15, 2014) – Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital improved to the No. 4 hospital in South Carolina in U.S. News & World Report’s annual report on the country’s Best Hospitals.
Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital’s ranking jumped two spots from the previous year, and it’s considered a national high performer in five areas: diabetes and endocrinology; gastroenterology and GI surgery; nephrology; neurology and neurosurgery; and pulmonology.
Pennie Peralta, vice president of nursing for Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, said the West Ashley hospital always has focused on quality, and its shift to emphasize patient outcomes has benefited patients and the hospital.
“When you start to focus on patient outcomes as a measure of quality, you get a different and better outcome,” she said.
Bon Secours St. Francis earned the prestigious Magnet Hospital designation in 2010 from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and it’s in the midst of applying for the recognition again. Magnet Hospitals are those that have demonstrated proven excellence in nursing, and through Magnet, Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital ranks among the top 6 percent of hospitals nationwide for the quality of its patient care.
Peralta said the Magnet Hospital standards also concentrate on patient outcomes, so going through that re-designation process has underscored administrators, clinicians’ and nurses’ attention to quality outcomes.
In the U.S. News & World Report rankings, Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital added neurology and neurosurgery to its list of areas in which it was considered a high performer. The hospital has dedicated financial and personnel resources this past year to boosting its stroke program, and it recently received The Joint Commission’s reaccreditation as a Primary Stroke Center. The hospital’s stroke programs fall under neurology and neurosurgery.
“Achieving a national ranking in five categories is a direct reflection of the caliber of medical staff who lead the patient care team at Roper St. Francis,” she said.
U.S. News & World Report has published hospital rankings since 1990 in an effort to identify the best medical centers for the most difficult patients, or those whose illnesses pose unusual challenges because of underlying conditions, medical issues or the procedural difficulty.
About Roper St. Francis
Roper St. Francis is the Lowcountry’s only private, not-for-profit healthcare provider. The 657-bed system comprises more than 90 facilities and services in seven counties. Learn more at www.rsfh.com.