The University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital at UK HealthCare remains the No. 1 hospital in Kentucky and the Bluegrass Region by the 2021-2022 Best Hospitals rankings and ratings from U.S. News & World Report for the sixth consecutive year. In addition, the UK Markey Cancer Center maintains its U.S. News Top 50 national ranking for cancer care.

Additionally, UK HealthCare was ranked as high-performing in four U.S. News adult specialties: Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Orthopedics and Urology. Ten common adult procedures and conditions also received a high-performing designation: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), colon cancer surgery, heart attack, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, hip replacement, kidney failure, lung cancer surgery, pneumonia and stroke.

“These rankings recognize UK HealthCare as the major health system best equipped to meet the needs of patients across Kentucky, and they recognize the incredible work and dedication of our physicians, nurses and health care providers across our academic health system,” said Dr. Mark F. Newman, UK executive vice president for health affairs. “At UK HealthCare, our commitment has been and always will be to provide the most advanced specialty care to the citizens of the Commonwealth, without the need to travel far from home.”

Ranked 41st this year, the UK Markey Cancer Center has maintained its U.S. News Top 50 ranking for the past five years. In addition to these accolades, Markey has been a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center since 2013, the only one in Kentucky and one of just 71 in the country.

“At Markey, we’re incredibly proud to receive this recognition for the fifth year running,” said Dr. Mark Evers, director of the UK Markey Cancer Center. “The consistency of our U.S. News rankings, along with our status as an NCI-designated cancer center, cements our role as a premier cancer center that’s making an impact on cancer care not just in Kentucky, but across the country as well.”

These rankings are not the only honors bestowed upon UK HealthCare in 2021 — earlier this year, UK HealthCare and Eastern State Hospital achieved Magnet status, the highest institutional honor and gold standard for nursing excellence granted by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program.

The annual Best Hospitals rankings and ratings, now in their 32nd 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 2021-22 rankings and ratings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,750 medical centers nationwide in 15 specialties and 17 procedures and conditions. In the 15 specialty areas, 175 hospitals were ranked in at least one specialty. In rankings by state and metro area, U.S. News recognized hospitals as high performing 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.