Seven Wake Forest Baptist Specialties Earn Top-50 Rankings in U.S. News & World Report’s Annual ‘Best Hospitals’ Survey

August 14, 2018

Seven Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center specialties have earned top-50 rankings from U.S. News & World Report in its 2018-19 “Best Hospitals” survey.

This marks the 26th consecutive year that Wake Forest Baptist programs have been listed in the U.S. News rankings.

The seven specialties ranked in the 2018-19 survey, released earlier today, are Cancer (No. 19), Ear, Nose and Throat (No. 30), Geriatrics (No. 31), Nephrology (No. 38), Pulmonology (No. 41), Neurology and Neurosurgery (No. 47) and Gynecology (No. 49).

Additionally, three programs – Diabetes and Endocrinology, Orthopaedics and Urology – are rated as High Performing, meaning Wake Forest Baptist is recognized in 10 of the 16 specialties evaluated by U.S. News.  

In the 2017-18 survey, six Wake Forest Baptist programs received top-50 rankings and four were rated as High Performing.

In this year’s survey, Wake Forest Baptist is the only hospital in the Piedmont Triad to be nationally ranked and is second overall in North Carolina. The Medical Center’s rankings in cancer and geriatrics are the highest of any hospitals in the state.

Earlier this year, Wake Forest Baptist’s Brenner Children’s Hospital was ranked No. 47 in urology in U.S. News’ annual “Best Children’s Hospitals” survey.

“We are proud of these national rankings because they reflect both the wide range and the high quality of care that we provide,” said Julie Ann Freischlag, M.D., CEO of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and dean of Wake Forest School of Medicine. “This recognition is also a testament to the tireless efforts of the talented physicians, nurses, scientists and other staff members who are dedicated to improving the health and wellness of all the patients and communities that we serve.”           

Among Wake Forest Baptist’s ranked specialties, both Cancer – which moved up eight spots from No. 27 in 2017-18 – and Nephrology have been in the top 50 for 11 consecutive years. Ear, Nose and Throat has been ranked for six straight years, Neurology and Neurosurgery for four and Geriatrics and Gynecology for two each. Pulmonology was previously ranked in 2015-16.

The U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” rankings are based on data-driven analyses in 12 of the specialties and on hospital reputation as determined by physician surveys in the other four areas. In this year’s rankings, only 158 of the more than 4,500 hospitals evaluated, or three percent, are listed in at least one specialty.

In a separate U.S. News ranking of hospital performance in nine relatively common procedures and conditions, Wake Forest Baptist is ranked as High Performing in eight of the categories: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, hip replacement, lung cancer surgery, colon cancer surgery and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The complete “Best Hospitals” rankings are available online at health.usnews.com/best-hospitals.

Media Relations

Joe McCloskey: jmcclosk@wakehealth.edu, 336-716-1273

Eryn Johnson: eryjohns@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-8228