UF Health Jacksonville recently received good news regarding its standing in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals rankings for 2020-2021. The hospital has been recognized as high-performing in five specialties, including a Top 50 national ranking in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

UF Health Jacksonville’s nephrology and endocrinology programs were also listed among the country’s Top 100. The hospital was singled out for high performance in the specialties of gastroenterology/gastroenterology surgery and urology, and in the patient care procedures/conditions of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure.

In addition to the high-performing specialties, eight UF Health Jacksonville service lines improved their scores from last year.

MAKING STRIDES

U.S. News & World Report’s rankings are based on the hospital’s level of acuity of care, its brand recognition and the quality scores for the patient care service lines. Ranked service lines and high-performing service lines drive the hospital’s quality scores. The University of Florida Board of Trustees has challenged UF Health Jacksonville to be No. 1 in the region and in the Top 10 in Florida by 2025.

To achieve a higher ranking, the hospital needs more high-performing service lines, and several are close to achieving that status.

Focused work to maintain the ranked service lines and move several more service lines into the high-performing category has been a major priority. Hospital inpatient and ambulatory clinic coordination-of-care projects and enhanced continuum-of-care performance improvement initiatives are well underway in several departments. The engagement of the department chairs, physician champions, ambulatory clinic leadership, clinic staff and case management has been extraordinary. This work translates into direct benefits for our patients.