Ballad Health hospitals receive national recognition for high quality and patient safety

Respected independent rankings from multiple organizations provide objective evidence of high value, high quality and lower cost at Ballad Health hospitals

Multiple respected national organizations, including U.S. News, Quantros Inc.’s CareChex® awards, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, agree Ballad Health hospitals are among the nation’s best.

From trauma care to high-level neurosurgery and orthopedics, to overall high-quality medical care and patient safety, Ballad Health hospitals are among the nation’s elite, according to independent, objective rankings published by these organizations.

“Everyone at Ballad Health, from our board of directors to our team members and physician partners, is committed to providing high-quality, evidence-based care designed for the needs of our region,” said Ballad Health Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alan Levine. “It is inspiring to see independent validation of the hard work done each day to honor the people we serve by providing the best possible care. Despite the national labor shortages, and all the challenges for hospitals, our clinical teams have never lost their focus.”

These recognitions and rankings span the entire Ballad Health organization, validating the important partnerships Ballad Health has established with the region’s physicians and clinical team members.

“East Tennessee State University and ETSU Health are proud partners with Ballad Health to achieve great care for our patients,” said Dr. William Block Jr., vice president for clinical affairs and dean of medicine for ETSU Health – Quillen College of Medicine. “These recognitions of excellent outcomes are the results of organizations throughout the region working together and challenging one another to provide for our patients.

“Our physicians, nurses, and students are in Ballad Health hospitals daily as we train the providers of tomorrow. To have this opportunity in facilities committed to being the best in America is an honor and a privilege. We look forward to expanding this partnership and continuing to provide excellent care to our patients across the Appalachian Highlands. Congratulations to all at Ballad Health who have made these results possible.”

“These results are part of our journey to be a high-value, highly-reliable healthcare delivery system for our friends and family in this region,” said Dr. Clay Runnels, Ballad Health’s chief physician executive. “While we are proud of these results, we continue to strive to be even better as we work alongside the physicians in our region.”

Examples of the multiple recognitions and rankings include:

Overall hospital care

• Quantros named Johnson City Medical Center in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for patient safety in overall medical care in its 2023 CareChex® awards.
• Holston Valley Medical Center was named by U.S. News’ annual “Best Hospital” study as the ninth-ranked hospital in the state of Tennessee.
• Quantros named Norton Community Hospital in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for medical excellence in women’s health in its 2023 CareChex® awards.

Trauma and orthopedic care

For trauma care:

• Quantros named Johnson City Medical Center in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for patient safety in trauma care in its 2023 CareChex® awards.

For hip fracture care:

• Quantros named Johnson City Medical Center among the top 100 hospitals in the nation for medical excellence in hip fracture care in its 2023 CareChex® awards. Johnson City Medical Center was also recognized in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for patient safety in hip fracture care.
• U.S. News recognized Smyth County Community Hospital as “high-performing” in care for hip fracture patients, with a special notation for providing an excellent patient experience.

For spinal fusion procedures:

• Quantros named Bristol Regional Medical Center in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for patient safety and medical excellence in spinal fusion in its 2023 CareChex® awards.

For knee replacement procedures:

• U.S. News recognized Holston Valley and Johnson City Medical Center as “high-performing,” where both exhibited excellent prevention of prolonged hospitalizations post-procedure.

Cardiovascular care

Bristol Regional and Holston Valley have been recognized by two distinguished cardiovascular care organizations for providing excellent heart care:

• Bristol Regional has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2022. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients. Bristol Regional has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients with the care outlined by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.
• Holston Valley has received the American Heart Association’s (AHA) GoldPlus Get With The Guidelines - Stroke quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

For heart attack care and treatment:

• U.S. News recognized Bristol Regional, Holston Valley and Johnson City Medical Center with “high-performing” distinctions. Bristol Regional and Holston Valley are further recognized for their excellent rate of discharging patients directly home, and Johnson City Medical Center is noted for the excellent survival rate of its heart attack patients.
• Quantros named Johnston Memorial Hospital and Lonesome Pine Hospital in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for medical excellence in heart attack treatment its 2023 CareChex® awards.
• Quantros named Johnson City Medical Center in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for patient safety in heart attack treatment in its 2023 CareChex® awards.

For heart failure care and treatment:

• U.S. News recognized Bristol Regional, Holston Valley, Johnson City Medical Center and Johnston Memorial with “high-performing” distinctions. Bristol Regional is recognized for having an excellent survival rate of heart failure patients, while the hospital joins Holston Valley and Johnston Memorial in having an excellent rate of discharging patients directly home.
• Quantros named Johnson City Medical Center in the top 10% of hospitals in the state for patient safety in heart failure treatment in its 2023 CareChex® awards.

For interventional carotid care:

• Quantros named Holston Valley in the top 100 hospitals in the nation for medical excellence in interventional carotid care in its 2023 CareChex® awards.

For stroke care:

• U.S. News recognized Bristol Regional, Holston Valley and Johnson City Medical Center with “high-performing” marks for their care of stroke patients, with all three receiving distinction for an excellent rate of discharging patients directly home.
• Quantros named Johnson City Medical Center in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for patient safety in stroke care in its 2023 CareChex® awards.

For transcatheter aortic valve replacements:

• U.S. News recognized Holston Valley as “high-performing,” with excellent rates of discharging patients directly home and preventing readmission.

The hospitals are all part of Ballad Health CVA Heart Institute, a network of care where patients across the Appalachian Highlands can take advantage of the latest treatment and procedures founded in science and leading-edge research.

Neurological care

• Quantros named Bristol Regional as the No. 1 hospital in Tennessee and among the top 100 hospitals in the nation for medical excellence in neurological care in its 2023 CareChex® awards. Bristol Regional was also recognized in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for patient safety in neurological care.

Surgical care

• Quantros named Indian Path in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for patient safety in overall surgical care in its 2023 CareChex® awards.
• Quantros named Indian Path in the top 10% of hospitals in the state of Tennessee for medical excellence in general surgery in its 2023 CareChex® awards.
• Quantros named Holston Valley and Indian Path in the top 10% of hospitals in the state of Tennessee for patient safety in general surgery in its 2023 CareChex® awards.

For colon cancer surgery:

• U.S. News recognized Bristol Regional and Holston Valley as “high-performing.”

For gallbladder removal:

• Quantros named Bristol Regional in the top 100 hospitals in the nation for patient safety in gallbladder removal in its 2023 CareChex® awards.
• Quantros named Holston Valley and Sycamore Shoals Hospital in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation, and Johnson City Medical Center in the top 10% of hospitals in the state, for medical excellence in gallbladder removal in its 2023 CareChex® awards.

For major neurological surgery:

• Quantros named Johnson City Medical Center in the top 10% of hospitals in the state for patient safety in major neurological surgery in its 2023 CareChex® awards.

For spinal surgery:

• Quantros named Bristol Regional in the top 100 hospitals in the nation for medical excellence in spinal surgery in its 2023 CareChex® awards. Bristol Regional was also named in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for patient safety in spinal surgery.

For major bowel procedures:

• Quantros named Smyth County Community Hospital in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for medical excellence in major bowel procedures in its 2023 CareChex® awards.

Pulmonary care

For pneumonia care:

• Quantros named Bristol Regional in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for patient safety in pneumonia care in its 2023 CareChex® awards.
• U.S. News recognized Indian Path, Johnston Memorial and Norton Community as “high-performing” in pneumonia care, with all three being recognized for an excellent rate of discharging patients directly home.

For pulmonary care:

• Quantros named Bristol Regional in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for patient safety in pulmonary care in its 2023 CareChex® awards.

For chronic obstructive pulmonary disease:

• U.S. News recognized Bristol Regional, Franklin Woods Community Hospital, Holston Valley and Johnson City Medical Center as “high-performing” for pulmonary disease care.

Additional awards in other care areas

For gastrointestinal care:

• Quantros named Indian Path in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for patient safety in gastrointestinal care in its 2023 CareChex® awards.
• Quantros named Bristol Regional in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for patient safety in gastrointestinal hemorrhage in its 2023 CareChex® awards.
• Quantros named Hawkins County in the top 10% of hospitals in the state for medical excellence in gastrointestinal care in its 2023 CareChex® awards.
• Quantros named Sycamore Shoals in the top 10% of hospitals in the state for medical excellence in gastrointestinal hemorrhage in its 2023 CareChex® awards.

For kidney failure:

• U.S. News recognized Bristol Regional, Holston Valley and Johnston Memorial as “high-performing” in care for kidney failure patients. Bristol Regional and Johnston Memorial were praised for an excellent rate of giving patients time at home, with no time or minimal time spent in a hospital, emergency department or nursing home.

For sepsis care:

• Quantros named Lonesome Pine and Smyth County Community in the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for medical excellence in sepsis care in its 2023 CareChex® awards.
• Quantros named Greeneville Community Hospital in the top 10% of hospitals in the state for medical excellence in sepsis care in its 2023 CareChex® awards.