Accolade from Becker’s Hospital Review latest honor for health care system
In late December, as Sarasota Memorial Health Care System capped off its centennial year, the community-owned health care system announced that it had been ranked among 100 “Great Hospitals in America” for 2025.
The national recognition from Becker’s Hospital Review in December put a proverbial spotlight on the “100 standout hospitals that demonstrated exceptional clinical performance, an unwavering focus on patient safety, and an ongoing commitment to research, education and innovation in 2025,” a news release said.
“Becker’s noted that hospitals on the top 100 list have been recognized for sustained quality and safety by multiple, independent rating organizations, including the Leapfrog Group, U.S News & World Report, and federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS),” the release continued. “SMH-Sarasota has been the only hospital in Florida — and one of just 17 nationwide — to receive CMS’ highest five-star rating for overall quality every year since the star program began a decade ago,” the release pointed out. SMH-Sarasota “repeatedly ranks among U.S. News’ ‘Best Hospitals,’ the release pointed out, and it also has earned straight A’s from Leapfrog for patient safety since 2016.
As 2025 came to a close, “Sarasota Memorial CEO David Verinder shared a message of gratitude with team members, thanking physicians and staff for a momentous year and previewing important initiatives unfolding in 2026,” the release continued.
“These honors are a powerful affirmation of your hard work and expertise and a great way to close out SMH’s centennial year,” Verinder said in the release. “As we look forward to 2026, we have much to be excited about, with the spring opening of our new Milman-Kover Cancer Pavilion at SMH-Sarasota and start of vertical construction at SMH-North Port. This year, we also are completing the transition of our existing electronic health record system to the new, patient-centered Epic platform and plans for a new, inpatient rehab pavilion at SMH-Venice,” he added.