A list of the nation’s best hospitals released this week by U.S. News & World Report dealt a minor blow to University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, but again confirmed the UCHealth system’s Colorado Springs flagship as the top-ranked destination for patients in the region. 

For the fifth year in a row, UCHealth Memorial Hospital was named No. 1 in southern Colorado in the news magazine’s “best-of” index, which is calculated using available hard data as well as softer metrics, including how patients rate their treatment experience.

UCHealth responded to the announcement in a Monday press release lauding its leadership and staff of dedicated providers.

“Our caregivers, physicians and staff are committed to providing compassionate, high-quality care to every patient and family we serve,” said Lonnie Cramer, president and CEO of UCHealth’s southern Colorado region. “This recognition reflects the expertise and collaboration that help us deliver exceptional care every day.” 

Meanwhile some 70 miles north, a 13-year winning streak was broken when University of Colorado Hospital was revealed to have slipped a spot to No. 2, behind Intermountain Health St. Joseph, the Denver metro hospital founded three years before Colorado achieved statehood. 

Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, another UCHealth hospital, tied for third-best hospital in the state. Overall, Memorial Hospital in the Springs was ranked Colorado’s sixth-best hospital.

U.S. News & World Report annually releases its Best Hospitals national and regional rankings, analyzing patient care data for roughly 5,000 U.S. hospitals and looking at factors such as patient volume, patient-to-provider ratios, health outcomes, risk-adjusted survival and death rates, readmission rates, and frequency of postoperative complications. 

The index was launched in 1990 as a way to help readers find the best medical care available.

The magazine ranked Memorial in the Springs as “high performing” in 10 procedures and conditions. In cardiology and cardiac surgery, the hospital was recognized for its performance in multiple procedures: aortic valve surgery, heart attack care, heart arrhythmia, heart bypass surgery, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair and pacemaker implantation. The hospital also was ranked high performing for spinal fusion, prostate cancer surgery, lung cancer surgery and ear, nose and throat surgery. 

“From the very beginning, UCHealth has been dedicated to improving the lives of our patients, family members, employees and those in the communities we serve,” said Elizabeth B. Concordia, UCHealth president and CEO. “I’d like to thank our physicians and staff members for always providing the highest quality and most innovative care for our patients across Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region.”