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NEW ORLEANS – Ochsner Medical Center (OMC), inclusive of Ochsner Medical Center- West Bank Campus and Ochsner Baptist, has been ranked the #1 hospital in Louisiana for the ninth consecutive year and recognized as a Best Hospital for 2020-21 by U.S. News & World Report, the global authority on hospital rankings and consumer advice.

Ochsner was also ranked #1 in the New Orleans metro area.

In addition, OMC was nationally ranked as one of the nation’s top 50 in neurology and neurosurgery in the new 2020-21 Best Hospitals rankings published online today. This is the 11th consecutive year that OMC has been nationally ranked among the Best Hospitals in America and is the only nationally ranked hospital in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Also announced today was OMC’s distinguished “High Performing” ranking in the following areas: cancergastroenterology and gastroenterology surgery, geriatrics, nephrology and orthopedics.

“These past six months have challenged our hospitals like never before,” said Warner Thomas, president and CEO, Ochsner Health. “We continue to fight not only the COVID-19 pandemic, but also provide exemplary care to our patients for all their traditional healthcare needs, from emergent to routine. This incredible honor allows us to pause, reflect and celebrate being named one of the nation’s best hospitals. Our physicians, nurses and all our employees contribute to these nationally ranked outcomes with their dedication to clinical excellence and passion for delivering exceptional care to our patients. That commitment to quality has never been more important than it is now.”

In June, Ochsner Hospital for Children was nationally ranked among the country’s top 2020-21 Best Children’s Hospitals for cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report. Ochsner Hospital for Children is the only children’s hospital in Louisiana or Mississippi to be nationally ranked among the top 50 children’s hospitals in the country and has received this distinction for four consecutive years.

The annual Best Hospitals rankings and ratings, now in their 31st year, 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.

For the 2020-21 rankings and ratings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 medical centers nationwide in 26 specialties, 10 procedures and conditions. In the 16 specialty areas, 134 hospitals were ranked in at least one specialty. In rankings by state and metro area, U.S. News recognized best regional hospitals based on high performing rankings across multiple areas of care.

The U.S. News Best Hospitals methodologies in most areas of care are based largely on objective measures such as risk-adjusted survival and discharge-to-home rates, volume, and quality of nursing, among other care-related indicators.

“For more than 30 years, U.S. News & World Report has been helping patients, along with the help of their physicians, identify the Best Hospitals in an array of specialties, procedures and conditions,” said Ben Harder, managing editor and chief of health analysis at U.S. News. “The hospitals that rise to the top of our rankings and ratings have deep medical expertise, and each has built a track record of delivering good outcomes for patients.”

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