KC Reporter

BJC Health System has been recognized with 109 distinctions for clinical excellence by U.S. News & World Report, according to an announcement from the organization. The recognitions include national rankings for Barnes-Jewish Hospital in 11 of 14 specialties and top state and regional rankings for several BJC hospitals.

Barnes-Jewish Hospital and its physician partners at Washington University School of Medicine have been ranked No. 1 in both the St. Louis metropolitan area and Missouri. Missouri Baptist Medical Center secured the No. 3 spot in both categories, while Christian Hospital is ranked No. 11 statewide and No. 6 in St. Louis. In Kansas City, Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City and Saint Luke’s East Hospital were listed among the top four hospitals in that city and among the top ten statewide; Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City was named No. 2 in the metro area.

Barnes-Jewish Hospital received national recognition in cancer; cardiology, heart and vascular surgery; diabetes and endocrinology; ear, nose and throat; gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery; geriatrics; neurology and neurosurgery; obstetrics and gynecology; orthopedics; pulmonology and lung surgery; as well as urology. It was also designated “High Performing” in rheumatology.

Missouri Baptist Medical Center earned “High Performing” ratings for gastroenterology/gastrointestinal surgery, geriatrics, and pulmonology/lung surgery. Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City received similar recognition for cardiology/heart/vascular surgery, gastroenterology/gastrointestinal surgery, as well as neurology/neurosurgery.

“We are very pleased to see multiple BJC hospitals and an abundance of clinical specialties recognized once again by U.S. News & World Report,” said Rich Liekweg, BJC Health System CEO. “This honor shines a well-deserved spotlight on our exceptional caregivers, and on their unwavering commitment to delivering extraordinary care to our patients.”

Both Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Christian Hospital were included among only 76 hospitals nationwide identified as “Best Regional Hospitals for Community Access.” This designation is based on factors such as service to socioeconomically deprived neighborhoods, Medicaid patient percentages, hospital revisits among vulnerable populations following orthopedic or cardiology care, as well as having a patient population reflective of local racial or ethnic demographics.

U.S. News & World Report rates hospitals on adult procedures using a three-tier scale: High Performing, Average or Below Average across 22 common conditions or procedures (https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings). The combination of specialty rankings at Barnes-Jewish Hospital with other procedure ratings brought BJC Health System’s total recognitions this year to 109.

The pediatric hospital rankings will be published later this year by U.S. News & World Report (https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/pediatric-rankings). Last year, St. Louis Children’s Hospital was named best children’s hospital in St. Louis regionally—and one of the nation’s best overall.

More information about these rankings can be found at usnews.com/besthospitals (https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings), with details scheduled to appear in U.S News & World Report magazine's August issue.

BJC Health System is headquartered in St. Louis with operations across Missouri, southern Illinois, and eastern Kansas through two regional entities—BJC HealthCare in the east region and Saint Luke's Health System serving western areas including Kansas City.