CENTRAL TEXAS – For the third year in a row, Scott & White Hospital – Temple has been named among the nation’s Best Regional Hospitals 2013-14, according to U.S. News & World Report, publisher of Best Hospitals. U.S. News publishes the Best Hospitals rankings annually in July. In 2011, U.S. News began formally recognizing hospitals outside major metropolitan areas, including Scott & White Hospital -Temple, as Best Regional Hospitals. The latest rankings identify more than 200 such hospitals outside metropolitan areas of one million or more. Scott & White was recognized for the Prairies and Lakes region in Texas, which encompasses more than 44,000 square miles.*

Scott & White Hospital – Temple was recognized again for its outstanding performance in six specialties: Orthopedics, Gastroenterology and Gastroenterology Surgery, Nephrology, Psychiatry, Pulmonology, and Urology.

“Being recognized again is something all of us take great pride in because it reflects the tremendous amount of work by all of our staff at Scott & White Hospital – Temple,” said Robert W. Pryor, MD, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of Scott & White Healthcare.” To be listed with some of the country’s premier medical institutions is very humbling.”

“A hospital that emerges from our analysis as one of the best has much to be proud of,” said Avery Comarow, U.S. News Health Rankings Editor. “Only about 15 percent of hospitals are recognized for their high performance as among their region’s best. Just three percent of all hospitals earn a national ranking in any specialty.”

U.S. News annually evaluates nearly 5,000 hospitals in 16 medical specialties. Data stands behind its analysis in most specialties, death rates, patient safety, and procedure volume. Physicians’ responses to a national survey, in which specialists are asked to name hospitals they consider best in their specialty for the toughest cases, also are factored in. The complete rankings and methodology are available at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals.

U.S. News publishes Best Hospitals to help guide patients who need a high level of care because they face particularly difficult surgery, a challenging condition, or added risk because of other health problems or age. Objective measures such as patient survival and safety data, the adequacy of nurse staffing levels and other data largely determined the rankings in most specialties.

*The following counties comprise the Prairies and Lakes Region in Texas: Anderson, Austin, Bastrop, Bell, Bosque, Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell, Collin, Colorado, Comanche, Cooke, Coryell, Dallas, Delta, Denton, DeWitt, Ellis, Erath, Falls, Fannin, Fayette, Freestone, Gonzales, Grayson, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Lamar, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Madison, McLennan, Milam, Montague, Navarro, Parker, Rains, Red River, Robertson, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, Van Zandt, Washington, Wise.

About Scott & White Healthcare

Scott & White Healthcare is a non-profit collaborative health care system established in 1897 in Temple, Texas. Among the leading health systems encompassing one of the nation’s largest multi-specialty group practices, Scott & White provides personalized, comprehensive health care enhanced by medical education and research. Scott & White Healthcare includes 12 acute care hospital sites, one emergency hospital site, two additional announced facilities, and over 140 clinics at more than 70 primary care and specialty clinic locations throughout Central Texas providing adult and pediatric care in 46 medical specialties. Integrated, high-quality care is delivered by a dedicated staff of more than 14,000 (including approximately 1,200 physicians and scientists and more than 300 specialized health care providers). Get the latest news from Scott & White Healthcare by visiting our online newsroom, news blog or on Twitter (@swhealthcare).