The 10 Best Hospitals In Louisiana

Like schools and governments, it can be difficult to know the best way to rank hospitals. There are a whole host of factors that go into determining whether a hospital is functioning well or not, from the talent of the doctors to the bedside manner of the nurses. HealthGrove.com offers a system of ranking that takes into account over 10 factors, including the hospitals rating on other websites as well as patient satisfaction. We took their system into account with U.S. News and World Report to create this article. Now that the much anticipated University Medical Center is open in New Orleans, everyone will be watching close to see how they come in the rankings.

10) St. Tammany Parish Hospital, Covington

Patients rated this hospital 5 out of 5 for overall patient experience.

9) West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital, Sulphur

This hospital received a smart rating of 88 according to HealthGrove.com.

8) Christus Health Shreveport-Bossier, Shreveport

Bed Count: 302 / Doctors: 306

7) Ocshner Medical Center Kenner

A smaller sub hospital within the Ochsner system, this Kenner location received special recognition for its gastrointestinal and GI surgery departments.

6) Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Baton Rouge

Bed Count: 1042 / Doctors: 746

5) Willis-Knighton Bossier Health Center, Bossier City

79% of patients at this hospital said that they would recommend the hospital to others, one of the highest ratings in the state.

4) St. Francis Medical Center, Monroe

While St. Francis received the same "Smart Rating" as Rapides, 89 out of 100, St. Francis received higher rankings from patients.

Bed Count: 343/ Doctors: 209

3) Rapides Regional Medical Center, Alexandria

US News and World Report ranked this hospital as high performing, with specialties in the following areas: Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, and

Orthopedics.

2) Willis Knighton Medical Center, Shreveport

This medical complex scored quite high in areas of patient satisfaction, receiving a 4/5 rating from patients. Bed Count: 896 / Doctors: 436

1) Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans

Ochsner scored high in the U.S. News and World Report rating as well as by measures of the number of cases the hospital saw and the rates of deaths from various common hospital errors.

Bed Count: 771 / Doctors: 691

Have you ever been a patient at one of these hospitals? Is there one that you prefer? Do you have any interesting stories to share? Let us know in the comments below!