U.S. News & World Report recognizes Lexington Medical Center as Best Hospital for fourth year in a row

U.S. News & World Report has named Lexington Medical Center as the best hospital in the Columbia Metro area for the fourth consecutive year and has once again named it the second best hospital in South Carolina.

“We are proud of our outstanding physicians, nurses, clinicians and staff who continue to provide exceptional care to meet the needs of our communities. Being recognized as ‘Best Hospital’ by U.S. News & World Report for the fourth year in a row shows our continued commitment to delivering advanced medicine for the well-being of our patients and their families,” said Tod Augsburger, president and CEO. “Achieving this prestigious ranking shows the hard work and dedication our team has to taking care of our friends, families and neighbors here in the Midlands year after year.”

U.S. News & World Report also ranked Lexington Medical Center as high performing in treating the following adult procedures and conditions:

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair
• Back surgery (spinal fusion)
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Colon cancer surgery
• Heart arrhythmia
• Heart attack
• Heart bypass surgery
• Hip fracture
• Hip replacement
• Knee replacement
• Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma
• Pacemaker implantation
• Prostate cancer surgery
• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement

For the 2025-2026 rankings and ratings, U.S. News & World Report evaluated more than 4,400 hospitals across 15 specialties and 22 procedures and conditions. Only 13% of evaluated hospitals earned a Best Hospitals ranking. Hospitals awarded a “Best” designation excelled at factors such as clinical outcomes, level of nursing care and patient experience.

“For more than three decades, U.S. News has been an invaluable guide for patients,” said Managing Editor and Chief of Health Analysis Ben Harder at U.S. News. “With a ‘Best Hospital’ recognition, Americans, in consultation with their medical providers, can confidently choose a regional hospital known for providing superior care for their specific illness or condition.”

To determine the Best Hospitals, U.S. News analyzed each hospital’s performance based on objective measures such as risk-adjusted mortality rates, preventable complications and level of nursing care. The Best Hospitals Specialty rankings methodology and Procedures & Conditions ratings methodology measure patient outcomes using data from over 800 million records of patient care.

The annual Best Hospitals rankings and ratings are designed to assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive quality care for challenging health conditions or elective procedures. For more information, visit Best Hospitals.

About Lexington Medical Center

Lexington Medical Center is a 607-bed teaching hospital in West Columbia, South Carolina. It anchors a health care network that includes six community medical centers and employs a staff of more than 8,700 health care professionals. The hospital was ranked best hospital in the Columbia Metro by U.S. News & World Report, was named one of the “Best Places to Work in South Carolina” by SC Biz News, in partnership with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Best Companies Group and was the first hospital in the state to achieve Magnet with Distinction status for excellence in nursing care. Lexington Medical Cancer Center is an accredited Cancer Center of Excellence and has a clinical research and education affiliation with MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. The network includes a cardiovascular program recognized by the American College of Cardiology as South Carolina’s first HeartCARE Center. The network also has an occupational health center, the largest skilled nursing facility in the Carolinas, an Alzheimer’s care center and nearly 80 physician practices. Lexington Medical Center operates one of the busiest Emergency departments in South Carolina, treating nearly 100,000 patients each year. The hospital delivers more than 4,000 babies each year and performs more than 25,000 surgeries.

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.