Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center has been recognized as a Best Hospital for 2019-20 by U.S. News & World Report. Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center is ranked #1 (tied) in the Lakeland Metro area and ranked #21 (tied) in the State of Florida.

The annual Best Hospitals rankings and ratings, now in their 30th year, are designed to assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions or for common elective procedures.

"This recognition is a testament to the commitment we make to our patients," said Ann Barnhart, CEO of Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center. "We continually work to strengthen patient care through adoption of best practices as well as reviewing our quality metrics to make sure we provide safe, quality, evidence-based care."

For the 2019-20 rankings and ratings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 medical centers nationwide in 25 specialties, procedures and conditions. In the 16 specialty areas, 165 hospitals were ranked in at least one specialty. In rankings by state and metro area, U.S. News recognized hospitals as high performing across multiple areas of care.

The U.S. News Best Hospitals methodologies in most areas of care are based largely on objective measures such as risk-adjusted survival and discharge-to-home rates, volume, and quality of nursing, among other care-related indicators.

U.S. News & World Report rated Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center as "high performing" in four areas: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, hip replacement and knee replacement.

For more information about the 2019-20 rankings and ratings, please visit the FAQ. The rankings will be published in the U.S. News "Best Hospitals 2020" guidebook (ISBN 9781931469937), available for pre-order now from the U.S. News Online Store and for purchase at other bookstores in mid-September.