The U.S. News and World Report has named Lexington Medical Center the best hospital in the Columbia metro area for the third year in a row.  

U.S. News evaluated each hospital’s performance on a variety of objective measures including risk-adjusted mortality rates, preventable complications and level of nursing care. This year’s report also incorporated new data on care given to patients with Medicare Advantage insurance and outpatients. 

Lexington Medical was found to be high-performing in the areas of back surgery, COPD treatment, colon cancer surgery, heart attack and heart failure surgery, hip and knee replacement, treatment for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, pneumonia care, and prostate cancer surgery.  

“We are proud of our outstanding physicians, nurses, clinicians and staff who continue to provide exceptional care to meet the needs of our communities. Being recognized as Best Hospital by U.S. News & World Report for the third year in a row shows our continued commitment to delivering advanced medicine for the well-being of our patients and their families,” Tod Augsburger, president and CEO of Lexington Medical Center said in the press release. “Achieving this prestigious ranking shows the hard work and dedication our team has to taking care of our friends, families and neighbors here in the Midlands.” 

For this year’s report, U.S. News evaluated 5,000 hospitals across 15 specialities and 20 procedures and conditions. Out of those evaluated, only 11% of those evaluated earned a “Best” ranking. 

“For 35 years, U.S. News has been a leading resource for patients navigating their health care decisions. A 'Best Hospital' recognition empowers patients to seek out medical care from the best of the best to treat their illness or condition,” chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News and World Report Ben Harder said in the press release.