Freeman ranked #4 hospital in state by U.S. News & World Report

JOPLIN, Mo.—U.S. News & World Report today released its annual Best Hospitals rankings. The report, which for 23 years has saluted the nation’s premiere hospitals, ranked Freeman Health System #4 in the state of Missouri. In addition, Freeman was recognized among the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals in Southwest Missouri and received special designation in five high-performing specialties, including Gastroenterology, Nephrology, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, and Pulmonology.

“Recognition on a state and national level is a tribute to the passion and commitment the Freeman team has for our patients and our community,” said Paula Baker, Freeman President and Chief Executive Officer. “Freeman employees are tireless in their efforts to care for our patients. Each and every person on the Freeman team should certainly be proud of this extraordinary recognition.”

This year’s Best Hospitals report showcases more than 720 of the nation’s roughly 5,000 hospitals. The hospital rankings, said U.S. News Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow, are intended to help steer patients to hospitals with strong skills in the procedures and medical conditions that present the biggest challenges. “All of these hospitals are the kinds of medical centers that should be on your list when you need the best care,” said Comarow. “They are where other hospitals send the toughest cases.”

The Best Hospitals rankings judge medical centers on their competence in high-stakes situations. According to U.S. News & World Report, a ranked hospital in neurology and neurosurgery, for example, faces far more complicated conditions than other hospitals. Other hospital ratings examine how well hospitals treat conditions or perform procedures. The rankings consider how a hospital responds to patients who are especially at risk because of age, physical condition, infirmities, or the challenging nature of the surgery or other care needed. U.S. News ranks hospitals in 16 different specialties, from cancer to urology. This year, only 140 of the 4,825 hospitals evaluated performed well enough to rank in even one specialty. 

The rankings were published by U.S. News in collaboration with RTI International, a research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Highlights of the 2012-13 rankings will appear in the U.S. News “Best Hospitals 2013” guidebook.

About Freeman Health System

Based in Joplin, Missouri, Freeman Health System is the area’s only locally owned, not-for-profit health system, serving southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, northeast Oklahoma, and northwest Arkansas. Freeman provides comprehensive healthcare and behavioral health services, including cancer care, heart and vascular care, neurosciences, orthopaedics, and women’s services, with more than 300 physicians representing 60 specialties. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com or facebook.com/freemanhealthsystem, or follow Freeman President and Chief Executive Officer Paula Baker at twitter.com/freemanceo.