COVINGTON, Ga. — Piedmont Newton Hospital was rated the top small hospital in the state this year in an annual ranking of Georgia hospitals by a publication. 

Piedmont Newton ranked first among hospitals with fewer than 100 licensed beds in an annual measure by Georgia Trend magazine.

The ranking recognized Piedmont Newton as the leader in Clinical Outcomes for patients among hospitals its size. It was based on data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital-Based Purchasing Program for fiscal year 2022, the magazine reported.

Clinical outcomes are assessed or measured based on how a patient feels, functions or survives, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 

Types of clinical outcome assessments include patient-reported, observer-reported and clinician-reported outcomes and performance outcomes. Examples include how a patient responds to physical and memory tests, what a clinician observes in the healing process or what a patient reports about a medical condition, according to the FDA.

David Kent, chief executive officer of Piedmont Newton, said, “Delivering high-quality care for our patients, close to home, is our goal in everything we do.

“I am grateful for the dedication of all of our employees, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, that made this placement on the Georgia Trend list possible,” he said. 

The ranking features the best hospitals by size and function annually.

Piedmont Mountainside Hospital in Jasper placed second and Piedmont Walton Hospital in Monroe placed sixth in the Georgia Trend ranking of Top Small Hospitals this year.

Piedmont's Atlanta hospital placed first in Top Large Hospitals — hospitals with 250 beds or more.

Emory University Hospital in Atlanta was named Top Teaching Hospital.