UNC Health Southeastern earns high praise

LUMBERTON — UNC Health Southeastern has received three recognitions by US News & World Report’s Best Hospitals report.

The health system has been named to both the 2024-2025 Best Regional Hospitals for Equitable Access and Best Hospitals in North Carolina for the Coastal Plain region lists, as well as received additional recognition with seven adult procedures and conditions rated as high performing including heart attack, heart failure, diabetes, kidney failure, stroke, COPD, and pneumonia.

“These honors are extremely important for our health system as they help to demonstrate to our patients, community and our own teammates that an outside, national entity has validated that our efforts to provide equitable and quality healthcare are top priorities,” said Chris Ellington, UNC Health Southeastern president/CEO. “Access to healthcare in a rural community, like ours, is vital, and being listed as one of 98 hospitals across the nation for equitable access acknowledges how our system consistently and successfully meets and exceeds those challenges.”

To qualify for the Best Regional Hospital for Equitable Access list, health systems must provide access to high quality care in a historically underserved area, while also serving a patient population that reflects the racial and ethnic diversity of the surrounding community, according to the report.

“Of all the recognitions our health system has received from this latest US News report, the one I am most proud of is the Equitable Access listing,” Ellington said. “This not only takes into account the high quality of care that we provide, but also recognizes that our teammates and caregivers reflect the community we serve, and we are keenly aware of the challenges our patients face related to access to healthcare. While we provide a full range of care, including some unique services not otherwise found in our region, we are also here to care for each and every one of our neighbors.

“The report stated that ‘some hospitals break the mold by demonstrating excellence in quality while also caring for numerous patients from vulnerable communities’ and we feel that we have embraced and adapted to excelling in our care delivery model,” Ellington said.

For the Best Regional Hospitals by State recognition, US News stated that, “Within a state or metro area, the regional hospital rank is determined by a hospital’s performance in the adult specialty rankings analysis and by its scores across each of the 21 procedure and condition areas we evaluate.”

According to US News, to be nationally ranked in a specialty, a hospital must excel in caring for the sickest, most medically complex patients. An overall rating of high performing, for which UNC Health Southeastern was recognized in seven areas, indicates a hospital was significantly better than the national average in each procedure or condition.

“We are very proud to be recognized as regional best in the state,” said UNC Health Southeastern Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Joe Roberts, M.D., who also oversees the health system’s quality initiatives. “This recognition validates the quality of individuals being recruited for our medical, nursing and support staff. Credit should also be given to our hospital administration and the vision and leadership provided by our CEO, Chris Ellington, and the UNC Health Southeastern Board of Trustees. Regarding recognition for Equitable Access, it makes a difference for patients to be cared for by the same diverse groups that make this county the most diverse in the state.”