The Erlanger Health System has once again been named among “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News and World Report in the publication’s 2012-13 Top Hospitals edition.

Erlanger was named “Best Hospital by Metro Area,” and ranked one of the top six (6) hospitals in Tennessee.

Erlanger was also the only local hospital to be recognized for High Performing specialties. Those specialties were: Neurology and Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Urology, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Pulmonology, Gastroenterology and Nephrology.

The report also recognizes Dr. Louis Lambiase, with Erlanger’s Academic Gastroenterology practice, as among the top 1% of gastroenterologists in the nation.

“As the region’s only academic teaching hospital and Level One Trauma Center, we are extremely pleased to have earned this national recognition from U.S. News and World Report once again,” said Erlanger President and CEO, Charlesetta Woodard-Thompson. “What is particularly gratifying is that Erlanger’s efforts and growing reputation in stroke treatment enabled us to earn an additional “High Performance” specialty rating in Neurology and Neurosurgery,” she said.

“This latest rating is a real testament to the hard work and intense commitment of our medical staff and employees to improve the lives of those in our community,” said Dr. James Creel, Erlanger’s Chief Medical Officer. “It is confirmation that the Erlanger team, does indeed, practice what we teach.”

In making the announcement, U.S. News and World Report rankings editor Avery Comarow noted,” All of these hospitals are the kinds of medical centers that should be on your list when you need the best care. They are where other hospitals send the toughest cases.”

The 23rd edition of U.S. News and World Report showcases 732 of the nation’s 5000 hospitals. This year more weight was given to data that is publicly available and less subjective, such as information collected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS Hospital Compare.)

According to publication officials, the new methodology “gives hospitals with solid clinical data more opportunity to show consumers how well they perform, and hospital reputation still counts.”

Other criteria used in the U.S. News and World Report ratings include patient survival, infection rates, patient safety measures, nurse-to-patient ratios and responses from medical specialists to opinion surveys. Highlights of the newest rankings will appear in U.S. News Best Hospitals 2013 guidebook, to go on sale in August. Complete rankings and methodology are available at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals.