St. Patrick Hospital Ranked Best in Montana for 4th Year in a Row

For the fourth year in a row, Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula has been named the best in Montana by U.S. News and World Report.

KGVO News spoke to Chief Executive for Providence Montana Joyce Dombrouski for details.

“It's a great accolade to have earned this number one ranking in the state of Montana for the fourth consecutive year,” began Dombrouski. “As you said, ‘honored’ but ‘earned’ is the word I use. We don't go out and apply for this award. It is done through US News and World Report as they look at data from many clinical situations as well as what patients think about what we do.”

Dombrouski said the hospital and staff are both proud and humbled by the ranking bestowed for the fourth straight year.

“They named us for the fourth time and we're proud and we're very honored,” she said. “At the same time, we're very humbled because it does reflect the outstanding work that happens here each and every day. No matter where you live, we'll celebrate that and we just wanted the community to know of it and to celebrate with us.”

Dombrouski said U.S. News and World Report gave St. Patrick Hospital high rankings in no fewer than 15 areas of medical services.

“We've received 15 high-performing ratings,” she said. “In pulmonary, in urology, in surgical repairs which includes the spine, the heart of course, and congestive heart failure in the treatment of heart attacks. Also in orthopedic surgery, including hip replacement and fracture, I said urology, and that does include taking care of patients with kidney failure. I said pulmonary and specifically, pneumonia was called out also stroke and also our TAVR program, which is transcatheter aortic valve replacement, and then in chronic diseases like COPD.”

Dombrouski acknowledged the COVID pandemic over the last two years and expressed pride in her staff for the level of care provided in the most difficult circumstances.

“Even in the midst of two plus years of whether you want to call it a pandemic, whether you want to call it surges, or whatever you want to call it, our staff despite being challenged, despite quite frankly being, I think fatigued by a long a situation which is not unusual in health care, they continued to provide the absolute best care,” she said. “So it's really continuing to do the work that we do every single day.”

In addition to being the best hospital in Montana, St. Patrick’s also was named the best hospital in the Glacier Region of Montana.