Awards & Accreditations

WakeMed has been an innovator delivering healthcare for more than fifty years.  We are frequently recognized for our commitment to quality and safety, exceptional advanced care and leading outcomes. It is the exceptional physicians, nurses, and staff who have achieved the following awards and recognitions all in the name of patient safety and quality care.

• Corporate
• Heart & Vascular
• Imaging
• Rehabilitation
• Surgery
• Women's & Children's

Corporate

Hospital Accreditation: Joint Commission

WakeMed is proud to be Joint Commission accredited healthcare provider. The Joint Commission is a healthcare accrediting agency with strict rules and regulations participating organizations must follow to ensure they are providing the best healthcare in safe facilities following best practices.

Joint Commission standards dictate security requirements, size of doorways, surgical process and procedures, physician documentation and much, much more. Comprehensive surveys are conducted every three years. Raleigh Campus, Cary Hospital, North Hospital, Apex Healthplex, Brier Creek Healthplex, Garner Healthplex and all WakeMed outpatient facilities are all Joint Commission accredited.

Magnet Designated Health System 

WakeMed is designated as Magnet by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. This system-wide designation recognizes our ongoing dedication and innovative efforts to improve outcomes for our patients and services for all who enter our doors.

Verified Trauma Centers

WakeMed Raleigh Campus features one of six Level 1 Trauma programs statewide to deliver the highest level of care for traumatic injuries. WakeMed Cary Hospital is home to a Level III Trauma program.

Both trauma programs are verified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and supported by a dedicated team of emergency physicians, orthopaedists, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, respiratory therapists, nurses, radiologists, chaplains and social workers.

Leader in Diversity

WakeMed is proud to be recognized as a Leader in Diversity by the Triangle Business Journal. WakeMed has received this award five times.

WakeMed Named Top Hospital to Work for in NC 

WakeMed is the best hospital/health system to work for in North Carolina, according to a ranking published by Forbes magazine. The list includes over 1,300 companies nationwide and identifies the best employers in each state – as determined by employee ratings on an independent survey. WakeMed was the top-ranking hospital/health system in the state and ranked 7th overall among the 100 businesses included in the North Carolina list.

WakeMed Home Health Exceeds National Average

The WakeMed Home Health team received a 3-star Home Health Compare rating for quality of patient care. Home Health Compare has information about the quality of care provided by "Medicare-certified" home health agencies throughout the nation.

Certified in Diabetes Education

The Adult and Gestational Diabetes Management program is certified with the American Diabetes Association for outpatient self-management diabetes education programming at Raleigh Campus, Cary Hospital and North Hospital.

COPD Certification from The Joint Commission

In 2021, WakeMed Raleigh Campus became only the second hospital in the state to receive Joint Commission COPD certification. COPD is the third leading cause of death by disease in the United States and the CDC estimates that nearly 7 percent of North Carolinians have COPD. Established in 2007, Joint Commission COPD Certification recognizes organizations that make exceptional efforts to foster better outcomes for COPD patients.

WakeMed Receives PRC Awards

Each year, Professional Research Consultants (PRC) recognizes health care organizations that have gone above and beyond to achieve excellence in their field with the PRC Excellence in Healthcare Awards.

This year, WakeMed received numerous awards, which recognize service lines in the top 10 percent (at or above 90th percentile) of the PRC national client database. See the full list of department and provider winners.

Leapfrog Group Hospital Safety Scores

The new hospital safety scores were recently released by Leapfrog Group.  WakeMed Raleigh Campus, WakeMed North Hospital, and WakeMed Cary Hospital all received 'A's. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national nonprofit organization that works to initiate improvements in the safety, quality and affordability of health care.

Leapfrog Group Top Hospital 2022 Award for WakeMed North Hospital

WakeMed North Hospital was recently named one of the nation’s top hospitals by The Leapfrog Group. This year, 115 hospitals from across the country received the distinguished Top Hospital Award. WakeMed North Hospital is one of 58 U.S. hospitals to take home the honor for the “Teaching” top hospital category (four available categories: General, Teaching, Rural and Children’s). WakeMed has supported our patients and the next generation of health care providers by offering training, teaching and medical education programs for more than 45 years.

WakeMed North Hospital Achieves LEED Healthcare Gold Certification

WakeMed North Hospital has received the prestigious level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Healthcare Gold. LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and it provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings.

WakeMed North Hospital was the first hospital in North Carolina to achieve LEED Healthcare Gold.

WakeMed Wins Nine “Raleigh’s Best 2022” Awards

WakeMed topped the list in several categories in the 2022 News & Observer Raleigh’s Best Awards program:

• Cardiology: WakeMed Heart & Vascular – Cardiology
• Doctor: Dr. Peter Chan – WakeMed Heart & Vascular
• Hospital: WakeMed Raleigh Campus
• Orthopedics: Wake Orthopaedics
• Place to Have a Baby: WakeMed Raleigh Campus
• Primary Care: WakeMed Primary Care
• Weight Loss Center: WakeMed Bariatric Surgery & Medical Weight Loss
• Women's Clinic: WakeMed Obstetrics & Gynecology

Cigna Center of Excellence

Each year, Cigna health insurance evaluates the patient outcomes and cost efficiency of every hospital in their network. Hospitals that earn at least five stars (with at least two stars for patient outcomes and two stars for efficiency) receive the Cigna Center of Excellence designation for that surgical procedure or medical condition. For 2022, WakeMed received Center of Excellence designation for:

Raleigh Campus

• Cardiac Cath & Angioplasty
• Heart Surgery
• Respiratory Conditions

Cary Hospital

• Bariatric Surgery

Newsweek’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity

WakeMed was named one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity by Newsweek in 2023. The list includes 1,000 companies nationwide and identifies the employers that are dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion — as determined by 389,000 individual company reviews from employees.

Most Socially Responsible Hospitals

WakeMed Raleigh Campus made the Lown Institute’s 2022 list of the nation’s most socially responsible hospitals. As one of only 66 U.S. hospitals to receive this distinction, WakeMed Raleigh Campus achieved “A” grades across metrics of health equity, value of care, and patient outcomes. The Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility is a signature project of the Lown Institute that measures how well hospitals serve their patients and communities through unique benchmark data and analytics — from racial inclusivity and avoidance of overuse to pay equity, among other metrics.

Best Hospitals for Billing Ethics

WakeMed Raleigh Campus, WakeMed Cary Hospital and WakeMed North Hospital were all named to the 2022 Best Hospitals for Billing Ethics list, published by Money Magazine and the Leapfrog Group. The list was compiled using data from the Leapfrog Group's annual survey of more than 2,200 hospitals around the country.

Forbes Best Employers for Diversity

We are proud to be named among the list of 2022 Best Employers for Diversity according to Forbes, who partnered with market research company Statista to compile this annual list.

Heart & Vascular

American College of Cardiology Performance Achievement Award for Chest Pain – MI Registry

WakeMed Raleigh Campus and Cary Hospital are two of only 240 hospitals nationwide to receive the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry 2022 Platinum Performance Achievement Award.

These awards recognize WakeMed’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that we have reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology clinical guidelines and recommendations.

Chest Pain Centers Certified

WakeMed Raleigh Campus, WakeMed Cary Hospital and WakeMed North Hospital are Chest Pain Centers accredited by the American College of Cardiology (ACC).

Being a designated Chest Pain Center, reinforces that the processes and procedures used by our team of highly skilled and dedicated professionals ensure rapid diagnosis and fast appropriate care, offering our patients the best care and chance to avoid or minimize the damage from a heart attack.

WakeMed Named as First ERAS Center of Excellence

The Society for Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery believes it is important to recognize institutions which have demonstrated exceptional efforts pursuing enhanced recovery programs. WakeMed was selected based on past, ongoing and future endeavors, having demonstrated achievements in several essential areas.

Get with the Guidelines — Heart Failure

In 2022, WakeMed Raleigh Campus and WakeMed Cary Hospital achieved Get With the Guidelines — Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.

Hospitals recognized with these awards have applied the most up-to-date evidence-based treatment guidelines to improve patient care and outcomes.

Get With the Guidelines — Stroke

In 2022, WakeMed Raleigh Campus and Cary Hospital Stroke teams continue to receive high honors for their achievements in delivering outstanding care to stroke patients.

In 2021, the Raleigh Campus and Cary Hospital teams earned Get With the Guidelines — Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll recognition from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Joint Commission™ Gold Seal of Approval for Stroke Care

The WakeMed Stroke Program holds the Gold Seal of Approval for Stroke Care from The Joint Commission, "an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.  Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization's commitment to meeting certain performance standards."

WakeMed Raleigh Campus is a Thrombectomy-Capable stroke center. WakeMed Cary Hospital is a certified Advanced Primary stroke center.

Three-Stars from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons 

WakeMed has earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for patient care and outcomes in isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), aortic valve replacement (AVR) and mitral valve repair/replacement (MVRR) procedures. The three-star ratings, which denote the highest category of quality, places WakeMed among the elite for heart bypass surgery in the United States and Canada.

Top Recognition from the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative 

WakeMed Raleigh Campus and Cary Hospital received three-star Participation Awards from the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS VQI). The awards recognize the importance of active participation in the registry program. VQI’s registries contain demographic, clinical, procedural and outcomes data from more than 1,000,000 vascular procedures performed in the United States, Canada and Singapore and at the patients’ one-year follow-up marks. This data allows centers and providers to compare their performance to regional and national benchmarks and to support their quality improvement initiatives.

#2 in Lowest CABG Mortality Rates 

According to national data from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), WakeMed Heart & Vascular – Raleigh Campus has the second lowest mortality rate for CABG surgery in the country amongst Medicare patients after Cleveland Clinic.

IAC Accredited Echocardiography Services 

WakeMed Cardiovascular Testing has received reaccreditation from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in Echocardiography. Raleigh Campus (which includes North Hospital) is accredited in the areas of Adult Transesophageal, Adult Stress, and Adult Transthoracic; while Cary Hospital is accredited for Adult Transthoracic. Accreditation by the IAC means that WakeMed’s CV Testing areas have undergone an intensive application and review process and demonstrate a commitment to quality patient care.

Imaging

ACR Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence 

WakeMed was designated a Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence™ (DICOE) by the American College of Radiology (ACR). The DICOE program represents the pinnacle of medical imaging care and recognizes best-quality imaging practices and diagnostic care. To receive this elite distinction, facilities must be accredited by the ACR in all modalities they provide, and in which the ACR offers an accreditation program.

Breast Imaging Center of Excellence

The American College of Radiology has designated WakeMed Cary Hospital a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence, making it one of only three in Wake County.  To achieve this designation, Cary Hospital Imaging Services has demonstrated excellence in breast imaging by successfully achieving accreditation in Mammography, Stereotactic Breast Biopsy, Breast Ultrasound and Ultrasound-guided Breast Biopsy.

Rehabilitation

CARF Accreditation

WakeMed is accredited by the Commission of Accreditation on Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).  CARF accreditation focuses on quality and results. The independent, non-profit organization is committed to "advancing the quality of services you use to meet your needs for the best possible outcomes. CARF provides accreditation services worldwide at the request of health and human service providers."

WakeMed programs that have earned CARF accreditation include:

• Amputee Program
• Comprehensive Integrated Inpatient Rehab
• Brain Injury Specialty Programs
• Spinal Cord System of Care
• Stroke Specialty Program

Joint Commission™ Gold Seal of Approval for Stroke Care

The WakeMed Stroke Program holds the Gold Seal of Approval for Stroke Care from The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization's commitment to meeting certain performance standards.

Get With the Guidelines — Stroke

In 2022, Raleigh Campus and Cary Hospital Stroke teams continue to receive high honors for their achievements in delivering outstanding care to stroke patients.

In 2021, the Raleigh Campus and Cary Hospital teams earned Get With the Guidelines — Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll recognition from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

WakeMed Rehab Hospital Ranked by U.S. News & World Report

WakeMed Rehab Hospital was named one of the top 50 physical rehabilitation hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. The publication evaluated over 1,083 adult rehabilitation hospitals and ranked the top 50 for their care of patients recovering from stroke, traumatic brain injuries, severe burns and more.

Ekso Reference Center by Ekso Bionics

WakeMed Rehabilitation Hospital was recognized as a ‘Ekso Reference Center’ by Ekso Bionics — making us the seventh program in the country to participate in this program. This achievement acknowledges WakeMed’s investment, development and creativity with Ekso over the past decade.

Surgery

Newsweek’s Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers

Capital City Surgery Center is one of the nation's best ambulatory surgery centers – and the best in North Carolina – according to a ranking by Newsweek. This distinction, based on data from Statista, recognizes Capital City Surgery Center as a proven leader in providing the highest level of ambulatory surgery center care.

Accredited Comprehensive Center for Bariatric Surgery by MBSAQIP 

WakeMed Cary Hospital is accredited as a Comprehensive Center for bariatric surgery by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), in partnership with the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

According to the MBSAQIP, this accreditation formally acknowledges WakeMed Cary Hospital for its commitment to providing and supporting quality improvement and patient safety efforts for metabolic and bariatric surgery patients.

Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery, WakeMed Cary Hospital

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) recognizes WakeMed Cary Hospital as a Blue Distinction Center+ in the area of bariatric surgery. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated health care facilities shown to deliver quality specialty care based on objective measures for patient safety and better health outcomes.

Blue Distinction Center for Knee & Hip

WakeMed Raleigh Campus and WakeMed Cary Hospital have been designated as Blue Distinction Centers by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina for knee & hip surgery. To earn this designation, WakeMed had to meet and exceed national established quality-focused criteria for each specialty area.

This is the highest designation given by the BCBS Association, who oversees this process.

Women's & Children's

Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Services

WakeMed Raleigh Campus and WakeMed Cary Hospital have been designated as Blue Distinction Centers by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina for Maternity Services. To earn this designation, WakeMed had to meet and exceed national established quality-focused criteria for each specialty area.

This is the highest designation given by the BCBS Association, who oversees this process.

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