TOP 50 CITIES: Columbia, Boone Hospital make top hospital care list

COLUMBIA, 1/28/11  (Beat Byte) -- HealthGrades released a first-ever Top 50 Cities for Hospital Care list Wednesday, based on a study that identifies the top 5% of quality hospitals in the nation. 

 

Columbia, Missouri comes in at #30.  And Boone Hospital Center is the only hospital in Columbia the study ranked in the top 5% nationwide. 

 

"HealthGrades knows that you and your family are concerned about the quality of hospital care in your community," the company explained in a press release.  "So we’ve released the first-ever list of America’s Top 50 Cities for Hospital Care. The rankings are based on a comprehensive study of patient death and complication rates at the nation’s nearly 5,000 hospitals."

 

The firm's Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence study "identified those hospitals performing in the top 5% nationwide across 26 different medical procedures and diagnoses, then ranked cities by highest percentage of these Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence." 

 

West Palm Beach, FL ranked #1 in the nation.  At the number 30 spot, Columbia comes in just after Colorado Springs and Jacksonville, Fla., beating Lincoln, NE; Denver; Los Angeles; San Francisco and New York. 

 

Sadly, Lawrence, Kansas -- where that Jayhawk lives -- didn't even make the list. 

 

HealthGrades Top 50 Cities for Hospital Care

 

Health Grades Top 5% Hospitals