Providence St. Peter Hospital has been recognized as a "best hospital" by U.S. News & World Report for 2021-22.
The Olympia-based hospital was ranked as the No. 3 hospital in the state, as a top hospital for the Olympic Peninsula region and as "high performing" in 16 specialty or procedural areas.
The high-performing areas included cancer care, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, geriatrics, kidney care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics and lung surgery.
"This recognition validates the commitment and hard work of the 5,000 Providence caregivers here in Southwest Washington," said Providence Southwest Chief Executive Darin Goss, who is based in Olympia.
For the 2021-22 rankings and ratings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,750 medical centers throughout the country, looking at risk-adjusted survival and discharge-to-home rates, volume, and quality of nursing.
Not only is Providence a top-ranked hospital, it's also very busy, according to residents who have recently emailed The Olympian with concerns about the regional destination for care.
Providence spokesman, Chris Thomas, said Thursday the hospital has seen increases over last year in emergency room visits, in the number of people who have to be admitted to the hospital from the emergency room and increases in acuity levels, meaning the hospital is seeing sicker patients, he said.
Thomas said some of the increase can be attributed to patients who had to delay their care during the worst of the pandemic.
There also could be more people at the hospital because as of May 17 the hospital is now allowing at least one support person to visit any in-patient, Thomas said.
Providence isn't the only busy hospital. Over July 4 weekend, Providence received calls from hospitals in the Portland area and even Northern California that were looking to transfer patients out of emergency rooms, he said.
To meet demand, Providence is planning to add 52 more hospital beds and build a new mental health hospital in northeast Lacey.
