Gwinnett Daily Post

ATLANTA -- Piedmont Hospital recently received its first-ever national ranking and was named metro Atlanta's top acute care hospital by U.S. News and World Report.

Piedmont's gastroenterology program was named No. 48 nationwide in the publication's 2011-12 "Best Hospitals" list, giving the Atlanta hospital its first national ranking and headlining 10 other "high-performing" specialities included in the rankings.

The U.S. News and World Report has published its annual "Best Hospitals" list for more than 20 years.

"As we navigate a changing healthcare industry, providing safe, quality care and service is extremely important, and we will strive to sustain clinical excellence by raising the bar each year," Piedmont CEO Les Donahue said in a statement. "We are honored to share the news of this success with the communities we serve."

The list named Piedmont the No. 1 acute care community hospital in metro Atlanta, as well as the area's No. 2 overall hospital.

High-performing specialities listed included: cancer care; cardiology and heart surgery; diabetes and endocrinology; ear, nose and throat; geriatrics; gynecology; kidney disorders; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopaedics; and pulmonology.

A full list of rankings is available at www.usnews.com/hospitals.