UK HealthCare ranks No. 1 in Kentucky for 7th straight year in U.S. News Best Hospitals; Markey Cancer Center climbs to No. 33 in nation

For the seventh straight year, the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital at UK HealthCare earned the ranking of No. 1 hospital in Kentucky and the Bluegrass Region by the 2022-23 Best Hospitals rankings and ratings from U.S. News & World Report, tied with St. Elizabeth Healthcare.

“This ranking recognizes the incredible work and dedication of our physicians, nurses and health care providers who spend every day caring for patients from across the state,” said Mark F. Newman, MD, UK executive vice president for health affairs. 

For the sixth straight year, the UK Markey Cancer Center has earned a top 50 national ranking for cancer care, this year moving up to No. 33, tying with the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute. Since 2013, Markey has been a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, the only one in Kentucky and one of only 71 in the country.

“In Kentucky, we have the highest rates of cancer in the country, and this issue is especially pronounced in Eastern Kentucky and Appalachia,” said Mark Evers, MD, director of the UK Markey Cancer Center. “Nowhere in the country is it more important for people to have access to complex and compassionate cancer care. This ranking is a testament to the hard work of Markey’s health care providers and staff, who are committed to ensuring that no patient has to travel outside the state for the care they need.”

UK HealthCare was also ranked as high performing in two U.S. News adult specialties: Gastroenterology & GI Surgery and Geriatrics. Adult specialties classified as "high performing" rank outside of the top 50 hospitals rated but rank in the top 10 percent of all hospitals evaluated.

The following 10 common adult procedures and conditions received a high-performing designation, the top distinction for that category:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Colon cancer surgery
• Heart attack
• Heart bypass surgery
• Heart failure
• Kidney failure
• Lung cancer surgery
• Ovarian cancer surgery
• Pneumonia
• Stroke

Earlier this summer, Kentucky Children's Hospital ranked nationally in two specialties in U.S. News & World Report's 2023-23 Best Children's Hospitals rankings. KCH and Cincinnati Children’s Joint Pediatric Heart Program is ranked 16th in the country in pediatric cardiology & heart surgery. KCH, in association with Shriners Children's Lexington, is ranked 45th in the country for pediatric orthopeadic care.

The annual Best Hospitals rankings and ratings are designed to assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions or for common elective procedures. This is the 33rd edition of the list.

For the 2022-23 rankings and ratings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 hospitals across 15 specialties and 20 procedures and conditions. For the first time, U.S. News rated eligible hospitals in ovarian cancer surgery, prostate cancer surgery and uterine cancer surgery. In the 15 specialties, 164 hospitals were ranked in at least one specialty. State and metro area rankings reflect the highest performing hospitals in the area across multiple areas of care.

U.S. News evaluated each hospital’s performance using a variety of measures such as survival rates, complication rates, patient experience and level of nursing care. The Best Hospitals methodology factors in data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, American Hospital Association, professional organizations and medical specialists.