Hospital earns ‘high performing’ rating in the treatment of six conditions and Best Regional Hospital for Equitable Access
Anchorage, Alaska — Providence Alaska Medical Center (PAMC) has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report for providing Alaskans with high-quality care, especially to patients in underserved communities.
In the U.S. News & World Report 2024-2025 Best Hospitals rankings, PAMC was rated “High Performing” in the treatment of six conditions. Additionally, the hospital was named “Best Regional Hospital for Equitable Access,” one of only 53 regional hospitals recognized in the nation and the only hospital in Alaska to receive this honor.
According to U.S. News, for most types of care, “High Performing” is the highest possible rating, typically achieved by less than 25% of the evaluated hospitals. PAMC was honored for providing high-quality care in the following procedures and conditions:
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Heart Attack
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Heart Failure
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Stroke
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Kidney Failure
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COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
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Pneumonia
This year, for the first time, U.S. News awarded “Best Regional Hospital for Equitable Access” to hospitals that have achieved success — as a high-performing hospital — at providing excellent care to patients in underserved communities.
“Caregivers at Providence Alaska Medical Center are dedicated to providing Alaskans with life-saving care that is on par with the most prestigious medical centers in the country,” said Sarah Skeel, chief administrative officer at PAMC. “It’s extremely rewarding that this year, not only were we recognized for the quality of our care, we were also honored for being the best in our state at providing care to historically underserved people in our community. This speaks to our Mission of being steadfast in serving all, especially the poor and vulnerable.”
To achieve this honor, U.S. News identified 53 hospitals that received a Best Regional Hospital designation in 2023 and met at least two of the following criteria:
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had 40% or more of its patients from a community of greater socioeconomic deprivation (according to the Area Deprivation Index),
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served 20% or more racial/ethnic minority patients or was in the highest tier in at least 1 of 5 measures of racial and ethnic patient representation and
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served 20% or more Medicaid patients or was in the highest tier in the measure of low-income patient representation.
“Choosing the right hospital to match your needs shouldn't be a guessing game,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “The 2024-2025 edition of Best Hospitals provides patients and their families clear, data-driven insights on hospital performance and empowers Americans to choose the facility best suited to their specific health care needs.”
To calculate the Best Hospitals rankings, U.S. News evaluated each hospital’s performance on objective measures such as risk-adjusted mortality rates, preventable complications and level of nursing care. The Best Hospitals Specialty rankings methodology and Procedures & Conditions ratings methodology measure patient outcomes using data from millions of records provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
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About Providence Alaska Medical Center
Providence Alaska Medical Center, a nationally recognized trauma center and Alaska’s only Magnet hospital, is part of Providence, a not-for-profit network of hospitals, care centers, health plans, physicians, clinics, home health services, affiliated services and educational facilities. For more information, visit providence.org/locations/ak/alaska-medical-center.
About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives and communities. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News, Real Estate, Careers and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice and U.S. News Live events. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
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