Since joining MedStar Health, MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center has seen a lot of changes leading to an abundance of nationally and regionally recognized awards, accreditations, and designations. We’re improving and we want you to know how. In 2016, MedStar Southern Maryland was credited as being one of the best hospitals in the country for Neurology & Neurosurgery by U.S.News & World Report, as well as a best regional hospital for the Washington, D.C., area. Our physicians and nurses are proud to be a part of our ever-growing system of care and can’t wait for what the future holds for our community.
MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center Awards
At MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center, we don’t just take acknowledgment seriously, we thrive on it. Since joining MedStar Health in 2012, our hospital has seen a lot of changes leading to an abundance of national and regionally recognized awards for our clinical and operational excellence. We’re improving and we want you to know how. Below highlights some of the hospital's most recent awards.
U.S. News & World Report Regional Rankings
For 2023 – 2024, MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center was ranked a Best Regional Hospital by U.S. News and World Report in both Washington, DC, and Maryland, and was the only hospital in Prince George's County and in the southern Maryland region to receive this ranking. The hospital was also recognized as High Performing in the following seven procedures/conditions:
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Diabetes
- Heart Attack
- Heart Failure
- Kidney Failure
- Pneumonia
- Stroke
In 2016, the hospital received a national ranking in the top 50 from U.S. News and World Report in the category of Neurology and Neurosurgery.
The Maryland Perinatal-Neonatal Quality Collaborative Awards
MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center was recently recognized by the Maryland Perinatal-Neonatal Quality Collaborative (MDPQC) as a gold-level participant for our antibiotic stewardship initiative and as a sliver-level participant for our hypertension initiative. These awards recognize our hospital’s commitment to improving health outcomes for birthing people and newborns.
MDPQC is a network of perinatal care providers and public health professionals working to improve health outcomes for birthing people and newborns through continuous quality improvement. The Collaborative provides participating birthing hospitals with educational resources, technical assistance and a platform for communication and sharing best practices.
We are grateful to be recognized for our hard work, and we are proud to receive this honor.
Get with the Guidelines: Stroke Quality Achievement Award
MedStar Southern Maryland received the American Heart Association’s 2023 Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.
MedStar Southern Maryland also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.
Mission: Lifeline Bronze Receiving Quality Achievement Award
MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center received the Mission: Lifeline Bronze Receiving Quality Award in 2019 for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients suffer severe heart attacks.
Practice Greenhealth: Environmental Excellence Award
The Environmental Excellence Awards are the nation’s premier recognition program for environmental performance in the health care sector. Launched in 2002, the awards program recognizes health care facilities and health systems for their commitment to environmental stewardship and their sustainability achievements.
The Aster Awards
The Aster Awards is the nation’s most elite competition dedicated to recognizing the most talented healthcare marketing professionals for outstanding excellence in advertising, marketing, and communications. The MedStar Southern Maryland Marketing Department won several awards for 2022 (recognized in 2023) for a variety of publications and projects, including:
- 10 gold awards
- 5 silver awards
The Healthcare Advertising Awards
A national panel of industry specialists reviews each piece, judging creativity, marketing execution and message impact. Judges award Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Merit designations to those entrants whose programs and materials display exceptional quality, creativity, and message effectiveness. The judges also select a small number of “Best of Show” awards. These are special commendations given to entrants whose work exhibits the highest standards of excellence. The MedStar Southern Maryland Marketing Department won several awards for 2022 (recognized in 2023) for a variety of publications and projects, including:
- 5 gold awards
- 4 silver awards
- 3 bronze awards
- 1 merit award
The team also won the highly prestigious Best of Show Award from this organization in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
The Washington Regional Transplant Community Top 50 Hospitals
The Washington Regional Transplant Community (WRTC) recognized MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center in 2017 for being among the top 50 hospitals for notification and procurement. WRTC is responsible for the delicate and complicated process of finding donor organs for recipients on donor lists and coordinating the transfer of the organs to recipients.
Maryland Quit, Fax To Assist Referral Award
The Respiratory Department of MedStar Southern Maryland was recognized and presented with the Maryland Quit, Fax To Assist Referral Award for Outstanding Record of Referrals to the Maryland Quitline for the 2017 fiscal year, coming in third in the state. The Fax to Assist Program allows healthcare and non-healthcare professionals refer tobacco-using individuals to Free Maryland Tobacco Quitline Services to become tobacco-free.
Healthiest Maryland Business Award
MedStar Southern Maryland continues to be recognized at a Healthiest Maryland Business in 2023. To receive this award, we had to demonstrate how we address wellbeing in programs, policies, benefits, and environmental strategies.
The Joint Commission Top Performer (2014)
The Joint Commission’s Top Performer on Key Quality Measures® program recognizes accredited hospitals that attain excellence on accountability measure performance. The program is based on data reported in the previous year about evidence-based clinical processes for certain conditions, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care, children’s asthma, inpatient psychiatric services, venous thromboembolism, stroke, perinatal care, immunization, tobacco treatment, and substance use.
Recognized by the American College of Cardiology in U.S. News and World Report Best Hospitals Issue
MedStar Southern Maryland was once again recognized by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in the 2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals guidebook. In this issue, the ACC recognizes the more than 2,000 hospitals participating in the NCDR and/or ACC Accreditation Services that are committed to quality and process improvement.
Coronary Intervention Excellence Award by Healthgrades
MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center is proud to be a recipient of the 2023 Coronary Intervention Excellence Award, in recognition of our superior patient outcomes in coronary intervention procedures including angioplasty with stent.
MedStar Southern Maryland was then further recognized as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention, making it the only hospital in Maryland to advance to this prestigious list for this procedure.
To receive a Specialty Excellence Award for Coronary Intervention, hospitals must demonstrate superior patient outcomes, including angioplasty with a stent. Within the Specialty Excellence Award recipient list, Healthgrades then further distinguishes the nation’s top hospitals for specialty care.
MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center Accreditations
Association for the Advancements of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) Accreditation
This accreditation is an international mark of excellence that demonstrates our facility's commitment to quality and safety to patients, donors, regulatory agencies, insurance companies and more.
Baby-Friendly USA
MedStar Southern Maryland achieved the highly prestigious international Baby-Friendly designation after a rigorous review process conducted by Baby-Friendly USA, the organization responsible for bestowing this certification in the United States. This distinguished honor demonstrates that MedStar Southern Maryland is adhering to the highest standards of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. These standards are built on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, a set of evidence-based practices recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for optimal infant feeding support in the precious first days of a newborn’s life.
The Joint Commission Accreditation
MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center provides our patients with the highest quality of medical and surgical care and has earned the Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval™ by demonstrating compliance with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization's national standards for healthcare quality and safety. Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission is dedicated to continuously improving the safety and quality of the nation's health care through voluntary accreditation.
Primary Stroke Center Designation
MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital is designated by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMMS) as a Primary Stroke Center. Primary Stroke Centers demonstrate they meet specific standards, including initial assessments, administration of clot-busting medication, and stroke education, to achieve long-term, successful outcomes for patients. MedStar Southern Maryland was also the first hospital in Prince George's County to receive this designation.
College of American Pathologists Accreditation
The College of American Pathology (CAP) Accreditation ensures that MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center's test results are meeting and exceeding industry standards for clinical laboratory testing.
MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute – Cleveland Clinic Designation
MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center is a part of the MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute-Cleveland Clinic Heart & Vascular Institute Alliance. Since 2013, Cleveland Clinic’s Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute and MedStar Heart &Vascular Institute (MHVI) have shared best practices related to patient care, outcomes measurement, quality reporting and clinical research. Physician teams from both organizations work together to accelerate improvements in heart care, research and to support even better patient outcomes. MedStar Southern Maryland is a part of this collaborative exchange among leading heart care providers, meaning patients in southern Maryland will benefit from an exceptional and unmatched level of heart and vascular care.
Pathway to Excellence Designation
MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center was awarded the Pathway to Excellence® designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), an enterprise of the American Nurses Association. It is the first national nursing designation for the hospital and makes MedStar Southern Maryland the only hospital in the Southern Maryland peninsula to be Pathway designated. Additionally, MedStar Southern Maryland is the only hospital in Prince George’s County to receive this designation.
The Pathway designation is a global credential that highlights MedStar Southern Maryland’s commitment to creating a healthy work environment where nurses feel empowered and valued. Pathway nurses are engaged, resulting in higher job satisfaction, improved safety for both patients and associates, and better patient outcomes. The four-year designation also reflects the organization’s commitment to excellent patient care.
Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) Designation
NICHE Imparts principles and tools to stimulate changes in clinical practice to achieve
patient-centered care and helps nursing teams effectively meet the needs of older adult patients. MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital is a NICHE hospital with Exemplar level status. This is the highest level an organization can hold.
Commission on Cancer (CoC) Accreditation
The Commission on Cancer (CoC) is a quality program of the American College of Surgeons and offers significant benefits for cancer programs, patients, families, and communities. Obtaining this accreditation means consistently meeting a high set of standards.
Echocardiography IAC Accreditation
MedStar Southern Maryland’s Echocardiography Department is accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC). The hospital had to undergo an extensive application and review process and demonstrate compliance with published standards and a commitment to quality patient care in echocardiography. IAC accreditation includes meeting both critical operational and technical components, as well as demonstrating competence on case studies and final reports.
American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Center of Excellence Accreditation
The BICOE designation is awarded to breast imaging centers that achieve excellence by seeking and earning accreditation in all the ACR’s voluntary accreditation programs and modules. MedStar Southern Maryland is accredited by this organization in Mammography, Stereotactic biopsy, Breast ultrasound, Ultrasound guided biopsy, and Breast MRI (via a relationship with MedStar Washington Hospital Center).