LITTLE ROCK (Aug. 8, 2017) -- CHI St. Vincent Infirmary has been named the top-ranked hospital in Arkansas for 2017-18 by U.S. News & World Report, marking the fifth consecutive year the annual listing has rated CHI St. Vincent Infirmary as the No. 1 hospital in the state. See list here.

"We would not have received this honor for five straight years without the support of our community or without physicians, nurses and medical staff who are committed to quality patient care," said Polly Davenport, president of CHI St. Vincent Infirmary. "These rankings are based on factors such as patient experience, patient safety and quality of nursing care, and we are working every day to make this healing ministry even better for our patients. It is rewarding to know Arkansans put their confidence in us to meet their medical needs."

U.S. News and World Report's annual "Best Hospitals" rankings are now in their 28th year. More than 4,500 medical centers nationwide were evaluated in 25 specialties, procedures and conditions. State and metro area rankings recognized hospitals as high performing across multiple areas of care.

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary was recognized as high performing in seven categories: heart bypass surgery, heart failure, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, colon cancer surgery, hip replacement and knee replacement.

“CHI St. Vincent has been serving Arkansans for almost 130 years with a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ. Today, we have four hospitals and over 70 clinics across the state dedicated to living our mission and creating healthier communities,” said CHI St. Vincent CEO Chad Aduddell. "Being named the best hospital in Arkansas for five consecutive years is an affirmation of how we live our mission."

Aduddell noted that four of the seven high performing procedures were heart-related. CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute is the largest number of cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons in the state. The heart specialists deliver the highest quality of cardiac care using some of the most advanced technology possible, specializing in the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AFib), aortic stenosis and heart failure.

The annual Best Hospitals rankings are part of U.S. News’ patient portal, designed to help patients make informed decisions about where to receive care for life-threatening conditions or for common elective procedures.

The U.S. News methodologies include risk-adjusted survival and readmission rates, volume, patient experience, patient safety, quality of nursing care and other care-related indicators.

Best Hospitals was produced by U.S. News with RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

The rankings will be published in the U.S. News “Best Hospitals 2018”  guidebook.

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