SMH recognized among 350 hospitals across 30 countries that excel in digital health tools
The Sarasota Memorial Health Care System (SMH) has been named to Newsweek’s list of the “World’s Best Smart Hospitals 2026,” SMH staff announced this week.
That listing shows that the health care system has won “international recognition for its leadership in health technology and innovation,” a news release points out.
“The ranking, developed by Newsweek and global data firm Statista, highlights 350 leading hospitals across 30 countries that excel in digital health tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and augmented reality,” the release explains. Hospitals were evaluated on the basis of peer recommendations, surveys and accreditations from organizations such as The Joint Commission, the release adds.
“A Newsweek article accompanying the list highlighted Sarasota Memorial for its innovation, with Sarasota Memorial Health Care System Chief Operating Officer Jeff Limbocker stating that the recognition reflects the organization’s continued investment in smart solutions aimed at enhancing quality of care, safety, and efficiency,” the release points out.
“We’re a high-level, high-quality health care system, but we remain grounded in our role as a community hospital,” Limbocker said in the release. “Our ‘North Star’ is consistent quality care and patient safety — and that’s what attracts the best staff and inspires innovation.”
“Among SMH’s recent advancements,” the release continues, “Newsweek recognized the health system’s use of robotic-assisted surgery to enhance patient outcomes, virtual reality use in simulation and education, the systemwide transition to the Epic electronic health record system in 2026, AI use to streamline clinical work flows,” and plans to open a third hospital campus in North Port.
“The real backbone of a smart hospital is having smart people,” Limbocker added in the release. “We all talk about AI and robotic process automation and other tools, but ultimately, we have a lot of smart people here, a lot of dedicated people on our medical staff. They make us smart. The rest is our ability to get there fast.”
To see the rankings from Newsweek, as well as the article highlighting SMH’s debut to the list visit https://www.newsweek.com/hospitals-adoption-cutting-edge-tech-benefits-patients-staff-2126501