Washington D.C. – July 25, 2011 – St. Mary’s Hospital was recently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a high performer in gastroenterology, geriatrics and urology.  The rankings cover 16 medical specialties and all 94 metro areas that have at least 500,000 residents and at least one hospital that performed well enough to be ranked.

“These are hospitals we call ‘high performers.’ They are fully capable of giving most patients first-rate care, even if they have serious conditions or need demanding procedures,” said Avery Comarow, U.S. News Health Rankings Editor. “Almost every major metro area has at least one of these hospitals.”

Hard numbers stand behind the rankings in most specialties—death rates, patient safety, procedure volume, and other objective data. Responses to a national survey, in which physicians were asked to name hospitals they consider best in their specialty for the toughest cases, also were factored in.

“Those of us who live in Madison have said for years we feel fortunate to have access to high quality health care in our community and the latest rankings from US News & World Report further support that sentiment,” says Frank Byrne, M.D., President of St. Mary’s Hospital.

The latest rankings showcase 720 hospitals out of about 5,000 hospitals nationwide. Each is ranked among the country’s top hospitals in at least one medical specialty and/or ranked among the best hospitals in its metro area.

This is the first year the Madison metro area was included in the survey.