Recognized for distinguished physicians, excellence in nursing and state-of-the-art technology, VCU Medical Center has been named to Newsweek’s list of World's Best Hospitals 2021. Newsweek specifically recognized VCU Medical Center for performing above the national average in infection prevention.

VCU Medical Center ranked among the top three health care institutions in Virginia, and No. 83 in the country, based in part on performance data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The unveiling of Newsweek’s rankings coincides with the one-year anniversary of the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Virginia. The pandemic’s arrival in the U.S. created unprecedented challenges for hospitals that included new care delivery models and infection prevention strategies to keep team members and patients safe while maintaining the highest quality of care.

“This public recognition is a testament to our team members’ ongoing devotion to outstanding clinical care, safety and patient experience, and affirms that we are making progress on our journey  to becoming the safest academic health system in the country,” said Ron Clark, M.D., interim CEO of VCU Hospitals and Clinics. “Our clinical expertise, particularly in infection prevention, positioned us well for adapting to the unprecedented challenges of the past year.”

Newsweek’s best hospital rankings for 2021 include over 2,000 hospitals across the globe and 300 hospitals in the United States. There are eight Virginia hospitals listed in the top 200 in the United States.

This is the third year Newsweek has published the World’s Best Hospitals list, for which it partnered with the data firm Statista Inc. Newsweek’s ranking methodology includes a review of three data sources: recommendations from medical experts, results from patient surveys and medical key performance indicators on hospitals.

Hospitals recognized for infection prevention are those who performed better than the national average based on 2019 data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

See the full rankings and read more about the methodology via Newsweek.