Inova Awards and Recognition

Third-party recognition and accreditations are important to Inova. These allow us to not only benchmark our performance against others, but ensure that we are providing the best care to our neighbors in the Northern Virginia and Washington, DC metro community. U.S. News & World Report Expand Content #1 Overall in the Washington, DC Metro Area U.S. News & World Report has again ranked Inova Fairfax Hospital #1 in the Washington, DC metro area. In addition, Inova Fairfax has also been ranked #1 in the Commonwealth of Virginia for the second year in a row. Inova Fair Oaks Hospital ranked #4 in DC and #8 in Virginia, and Inova Alexandria ranked #5 in DC and #10 in Virginia. In addition to overall best hospital rankings, all five Inova hospitals received recognition as high performing in several specialties and common adult procedures and conditions. These rankings are a result of U.S. News evaluating nearly 5,000 medical centers across the country.   Among the Best in the Nation for Neonatology Inova L.J. Murphy Children's Hospital has been named one of the Top 50 Hospitals in the United States for neonatology care by U.S. News and World Report. The U.S. News team generates annual hospital rankings by evaluating data on nearly 5,000 hospitals. Being nationally ranked in a specialty means that a hospital must excel in caring for the sickest, most medically complex patients.   Nationally Ranked in Obstetrics and Gynecology  Inova Fairfax Hospital has been ranked in the top 10 hospitals in the nation for obstetrics and gynecology by U.S. News. This ranking recognizes Inova's excellence in outcomes, comprehensive services and patient satisfaction ratings for gynecologic care, gynecologic surgeries for benign and cancerous conditions, and maternity care offerings. We have also been rated as high performing for ovarian cancer surgery and uterine cancer surgery, putting us in the top 10% of all rated hospitals for these surgeries.   About the U.S. News "Best Hospitals" Rankings The U.S. News Best Hospitals analysis reviews hospitals' performance in adult and pediatric clinical specialties, procedures and conditions. Scores are based on several factors, including medical outcomes such as survival, patient experience, nurse staffing and more. Hospitals are ranked nationally in specialties from cancer to urology and rated in common procedures and conditions, such as heart bypass surgery, hip and knee replacement and COPD. Hospitals are also ranked regionally within states and major metro areas so you can find the best hospital near you. Leapfrog: "Straight A's" in Safety + Three "Top Hospital" Awards Expand Content All five Inova hospitals have again been awarded a grade of "A" for hospital safety by The Leapfrog Group, a national organization that aims to improve healthcare quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 30 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to approximately 2,700 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.   In addition, three Inova hospitals were awarded Top Hospital designations for the 2022 award year: Inova Fairfax Hospital, Top Teaching Hospital 2022 Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, Top General Hospital 2022 Inova Loudoun Hospital, Top General Hospital 2022 Performance across many areas of hospital care is considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including infection rates, maternity care, and the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors. The rigorous standards are defined in each year’s Top Hospital Methodology. CMS Rated Hospitals Expand Content Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, Inova Loudoun Hospital and Inova Mount Vernon Hospital have once again received 5-star ratings from the 2022 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating. Inova Fairfax Hospital and Inova Alexandria also received impressive 4-star ratings from the federal agency. Inova is the only hospital system in the Washington, DC region with 5-star rated hospitals from CMS and is the highest ranked system in the Commonwealth of Virginia. CMS, the top health agency of the federal government, created the Five-Star Quality Rating System as an evidence-based evaluation reflecting a hospital’s standard of care. The rating system is based on quality measurements that have real meaning for patient health and well-being, including safety, timeliness and effectiveness of care. Medicare.gov Hospital Compare Joint Commission Accreditation Expand Content All Inova hospitals are fully accredited by The Joint Commission. Additionally across the system, Inova hospitals hold 20 Joint Commission disease-specific certifications. This means Inova meets the highest standards for healthcare performance, quality and safety. The purpose of The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization's survey and accreditation process is to evaluate facilities' compliance with nationally established Joint Commission standards that relate to quality and safety of care. The Joint Commission is one of the nation's most respected accrediting agencies. Achieving The Joint Commission's demanding standards ensures that our performance and improvement is held to the highest standards nationwide. By meeting The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization's national standards for healthcare quality and safety, Inova hospitals have received multiple Gold Seals of Approval®. Joint Commission Accreditation: Inova Alexandria Hospital Inova Fairfax Hospital Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Inova Loudoun Hospital Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Inova Comprehensive Addiction Treatment Services (CATS) Stroke Certifications by The Joint Commission: Inova Alexandria Hospital – Thrombectomy-Capable Inova Fairfax Hospital – Comprehensive Stroke Center Inova Fair Oaks Hospital – Primary Stroke Center Inova Loudoun Hospital – Primary Stroke Center Inova Mount Vernon Hospital – Primary Stroke Center Inova Loudoun ER - Ashburn HealthPlex – Acute Stroke Ready Hospital Inova Loudoun ER - Leesburg – Acute Stroke Ready Hospital  Gold Seal of Approval® for Joint Replacement: Inova Alexandria Hospital Inova Fairfax Hospital Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Gold Seal of Approval® for Spine Surgery: Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Gold Seal of Approval® for Hip and Knee Replacement Surgery: Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Inova Loudoun Hospital Gold Seal of Approval® for Prematurity (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit): Inova Children's Hospital Gold Seal of Approval® for Patients with Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD): Inova Heart and Vascular Institute Gold Seal of Approval® for Palliative Care: Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Expand Content Inova is proud to be the only healthcare system in the Washington, DC region to have been named to the Forbes list of Best Employers for Women 2022. To compile this prestigious roster, roughly 50,000 U.S. based employees were surveyed—more than 30,000 of which were women—at companies with at least 1,000 employees.   Through the work of the Inova Pride Team Member Resource Group, our hospitals have received rankings within the Human Rights Campaign Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), which promotes equitable and inclusive care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer patients and their families. Excellence in Advanced Lung Care Expand Content Inova is nationally recognized for lung transplantation and offers the D.C. area's first and only lung transplant program. We also partner in national research efforts and hold the following national and international accreditations for our expertise in the treatment of advanced lung diseases: Alpha-1 Foundation Clinical Resource Center for COPD American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) Certified Program Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Approved Transplant Center Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) Care Center Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) - Accredited Care Center Network (CCN) Site Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) - Accredited Center of Comprehensive Care Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTS) – Tier 5 World Association for Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Disorders (WASOG) Sarcoidosis Clinic          Excellence in Cancer Care Expand Content The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) represents a consortium of national, professional organizations dedicated to the improvement of the quality of care and monitoring of outcomes of patients with diseases of the breast. They have developed the following objectives to measure accreditation: Consensus development of criteria for breast centers and a survey process to monitor compliance Strengthen the scientific basis for improving quality care Establish a National Breast Disease Database to report patterns of care and effect quality improvement Reduce the morbidity and mortality of breast cancer by improving screening mammography and advocating for increased access to and participation in clinical trials The following Inova hospitals associated with the Inova Breast Cancer Program have been awarded this accreditation: Inova Alexandria Hospital Inova Fairfax Hospital Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Inova Loudoun Hospital Outstanding Achievement Award Designees from the American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer The Commission on Cancer (CoC) Outstanding Achievement Award (OAA) is designed to recognize cancer programs that strive for excellence in providing quality care to cancer patients. A facility receives the OAA following the on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor during which the facility demonstrates a Commendation level of compliance with six standards that represent the full scope of the cancer program and also receives a compliance rating for the remaining 30 standards. The six standards that form the basis of the OAA criteria are drawn from the following five areas of program activity: Cancer committee leadership Cancer data management Research Community outreach Quality improvement OAA recipients represent community-based facilities; teaching hospitals, NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and Network Cancer Programs as well as both newly accredited programs and those that are currently accredited by the Commission on Cancer. In 2014, Inova Loudoun Hospital received its second Outstanding Achievement Award for cancer care, joined by Inova Alexandria Hospital (recipient in March 2009) and Inova Fairfax Hospital (recipient in 2007).  Excellence in Radiation Oncology The Inova Department of Advanced Radiation Oncology and Proton Therapy has met the standards of performance of the ASTRO Accreditation Program for Excellence (APEx®).   National Pancreas Foundation Center of Excellence Inova Fairfax Hospital has been nationally recognized as a National Pancreas Foundation Center of Excellence. This designation distinguishes Inova Fairfax Hospital as an institution providing the best and most innovative multidisciplinary treatment for pancreatic cancer. Excellence in Heart and Vascular Care Expand Content American College of Cardiology The American College of Cardiology is the most trusted source for outcomes-based quality metrics related to the care of cardiac patients. Proven Quality Program: Inova is recognized as one of the top health systems in the U.S. for providing top quality care to heart patients. Inova Heart and Vascular Institute is one of only 87 health systems nationwide to receive this designation.   NCDR ACTION Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award: Every year since 2014, Inova Fairfax Hospital has earned Platinum Performance, which recognizes the highest level of care for high-risk Chest Pain – Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) patients. Since 2021, two additional Inova hospitals – Inova Alexandria Hospital and Inova Loudoun Hospital – have also earned the American College of Cardiology's MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award. This program recognizes hospitals participating in the registry who have demonstrated sustained, top level performance in quality of care and adherence to guideline recommendations.   Aetna Institutes of Quality® – Cardiac Care Each year since 2018, Inova Heart and Vascular Institute at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus has been accredited as an Aetna Institute of Quality Cardiac Care Facility for consistently delivering evidence based, quality care for cardiac medical intervention, cardiac rhythm care, and cardiac surgery. The Aetna Institutes of Quality (IOQ) network was developed to help patients and their doctors simplify their provider selections. Their accreditation is based on the quality factors of experience, standards, support, and efficiency. Aetna IOQ facilities have been specifically selected for meeting (and surpassing) all of these criteria.   American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehab (AACVPR) Inova Heart and Vascular Institute's comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation programs at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus, Inova Alexandria Hospital, Inova Loudoun Hospital, and Inova Mount Vernon Hospital are certified for adherence to rigorous national standards and guidelines.   American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: Beacon Award for Excellence The Progressive Coronary Care Unit (PCCU) of Inova Fairfax Hospital has once again received the Silver Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), for a 3-year designation. This award recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN's six Healthy Work Environment Standards.   American Heart Association: Mission Lifeline recognition for outstanding performance in treating heart attacks     Gold Plus Receiving (STEMI) – for both Inova Fairfax and Inova Alexandria Hospitals Gold NSTEMI – Inova Alexandria Hospital Silver NSTEMI – Inova Loudoun Hospital    American Heart Association and Mitral Foundation The 2022 Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award recognizes the nation’s best hospitals and surgeons for mitral valve repair surgery based on objective performance measures.   Cardiovascular Operating Room Award The Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR) team in the Cardiovascular Operating Room at Inova Heart and Vascular Institute has earned the 2022 CNOR Strong designation from the Competency & Credentialing Institute (CCI). This is the second year in a row that the team has earned this designation, which represents a commitment to perioperative excellence and outstanding patient care. Certification demonstrates that nurses have validated their mastery of perioperative practice. Research correlates certification with improved patient outcomes. The award is given to operating room departments that have achieved 50 percent or higher certification of eligible perioperative nursing staff; the IHVI CVOR team has achieved a 76 percent certification rate.   The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Certified Adult Heart and Adult Lung Transplant Programs   Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Gold Level ELSO Award for Excellence in Life Support: The Cardiac, Critical Care and Lung Services teams at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus have been designated a Gold Level Center of Excellence. This award recognizes the highest level of performance, innovation, satisfaction and quality.   Healthgrades 2020 Inova Fairfax Medical Campus: America's 50 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery™ America's 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care™ America's 100 Best Hospitals Award™ Critical Care Excellence Award™ Coronary Intervention Excellence Award™ Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ Pulmonary Care Excellence Award™ Inova Alexandria Hospital: America's 250 Best Hospitals Award™ America's 100 Best Hospitals for Critical Care Award™ Patient Safety Excellence Award™ Pulmonary Care Excellence Award™ Inova Fair Oaks Hospital: America's 100 Best Hospitals for Pulmonary Care Award™ Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ Patient Safety Excellence Award™ Inova Loudoun Hospital: America's 250 Best Hospitals™ Critical Care Excellence Award™ Patient Safety Excellence Award™ Inova Mount Vernon Hospital:  Outstanding Patient Experience Award™   Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC):   Echocardiography (both Adult and Pediatric) Cardiac Electrophysiology – Testing and Ablation, Device Implantation, Chronic Lead Extraction Nuclear/PET – Nuclear cardiology: RMPI Vascular Testing – Peripheral Arterial Testing, Extracranial Cerebrovascular Testing; Peripheral Venous Testing   The Joint Commission: Certified Ventricular Assisted Device (VAD) Program Inova Heart and Vascular Institute is the only hospital in the Northern Virginia area with a ventricular assisted device (VAD) program certified by The Joint Commission.   Society of Thoracic Surgeons: 3-Star Ratings The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is a national leader in health care transparency and accountability showcasing the quality of surgical outcomes. Inova Heart and Vascular Institute has earned the top rating – 3 stars – in four out of five possible categories for patient care and outcomes in its cardiothoracic surgery program. Only 10-13 percent of all U.S. hospitals receive a three-star rating in any category. The three-star-ratings, which IHVI has received for multiple years, reflect avoidance of mobidity and mortality.  Coronary Artery Bypass (CAB) Aortic Valve Replacement Aortic Valve Replacement + CAB Mitral Valve Repair and Replacement + CAB   U.S. News & World Report (2022-2023) #1 in both the Washington, DC Metro Region and all of Virginia.   Inova Fairfax Medical Campus - Ranked "High Performing" in: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Repair Aortic Valve Surgery Cardiology Heart Attack Heart Bypass Surgery Heart Failure Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) Inova Alexandria Hospital: Ranked "High Performing" in Heart Failure and Heart Attack Inova Fair Oaks Hospital: Ranked "High Performing" in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Repair Inova Loudoun Hospital: Ranked "High Performing" in Heart Failure Excellence in Neurosciences Expand Content Excellence in Stroke Care: Get With The Guidelines® The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association "Get with the Guidelines" program has recognized all five Inova hospitals with Gold Plus awards for achieving excellence in stroke care, including: Gold Plus – Target: Stroke Honor Roll (Inova Fair Oaks and Loudoun Hospitals) Gold Plus – Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite (Inova Alexandria and Mount Vernon Hospitals) Gold Plus – Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus (Inova Fairfax Hospital) Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll (all hospitals) Advanced Therapy (Inova Alexandria Hospital) These recognitions indicate that stroke assessment and services at all Inova hospitals provide patients with the best chance of survival. Learn more   Excellence in Neurology and Neurosurgery – U.S. News & World Report Inova Fairfax Medical Campus and Inova Loudoun Hospital's departments of Neurology and Neurosciences have been rated High Performing by U.S. News & World Report. Excellence in Nursing Expand Content American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Status Four Inova hospitals – Inova Fairfax, Inova Fair Oaks, Inova Loudoun and Inova Mount Vernon - have all been designated as Magnet® facilities by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Inova Alexandria Hospital is on the Magnet journey and is a designated Pathways to Excellence facility. In addition to receiving its Magnet designation, Inova Fairfax Hospital was singled out by ANCC with an "exemplar" for its Merit Rounding program that has been a central part of its care for COVID-19 patients. Inova Mount Vernon Hospital received six exemplars for top performances in several areas, including nursing satisfaction, infection prevention for central line-associated bloodstream infection, infection prevention for catheter-associated urinary tract infection, care coordination, and patient satisfaction for responsiveness and careful listening. Exemplars are nationally recognized best practice models. NurseJournal 2023 Best Hospitals to Work as a Nurse Inova Fairfax Medical Campus is proud to be named one of the nation’s best hospitals for nurses to work, ranking number 11 of 5,000+ hospitals considered for the NurseJournal 2023 Best Hospitals to Work as a Nurse list. The elite ranking was reviewed by a panel of nurses who assessed data with three specific nursing criteria in mind: career opportunity, benefits and working conditions. Data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS), The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital General Information, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program were also considered. Join our nursing team National Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence Presented by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, the Beacon Award recognizes the nation's top critical (intensive) care units. Units are judged on 42 criteria, and nurses must demonstrate they achieve excellent patient outcomes, have created and promote a healing environment conducive to their patients' well-being and exhibit leadership and ethical nursing practices. The following Inova Critical Care Units have received this recognition: Inova Alexandria Hospital – Medical Surgical Intensive Care Unit Inova Fairfax Hospital – Medical Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Trauma Intensive Care Unit, Neuro Intensive Care Unit, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit Inova Loudoun Hospital – Medical Surgical Intensive Care Unit and Progressive Care Unit Excellence in Pharmacy Services Expand Content The Virginia Healthcare Associated Infection Advisory Group awarded Inova Health System with Gold Status for excellence in implementation of the CDC Core Elements of Antimicrobial Stewardship.    Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Award Inova's pharmacy medication team has been recognized for successful implementation of error-reduction strategies around insulin administration. The ISMP Cheers Awards honor work that is setting a standard of excellence in the prevention of medication errors and adverse drug events. Learn More   Inova Pharmacy Plus at Schar Cancer Institute is accredited by the ACHC (Accreditation Commission for Health Care), and is also accredited by URAC for Specialty Pharmacy. Accreditations validate our commitment to quality, accountability and patient care.   Excellence in Surgery Expand Content Inova L.J. Murphy Children's Hospital is a Level 1 Verified Children's Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program (ACS CSV). The ACS CSV program is based on other nationally recognized ACS quality improvement programs that have measurably improved surgical quality and outcomes. Verified centers must meet criteria outlined in the standards document, Optimal Resources for Children's Surgical Care, which ensure that pediatric surgical patients receive optimal care under a multidisciplinary program with quality improvement and safety processes, data collection and appropriate resources at the hospital. Level I centers have specialty trained children's surgeons in every discipline, with pediatric anesthesiologists and dedicated operating rooms for children available 24 hours a day. They also train future leaders in education and research and participate in community outreach. Learn More Go Clear Award™ from the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses All five Inova hospitals received the Go Clear Award™ for eliminating hazardous smoke from surgical procedures. The Go Clear Award is presented by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) to recognize healthcare facilities that have committed to providing increased surgical patient and health care worker safety by implementing practices that eliminate smoke caused by the use of lasers and electrosurgery devices during surgery. Inova hospitals earned its award by undergoing comprehensive surgical smoke education and testing and for providing the medical devices and resources necessary to evacuate surgical smoke during all smoke-generating procedures. Excellence in Weight Loss Surgery Inova Fair Oaks Hospital is nationally recognized as a Center of Excellence for weight loss surgery by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. This designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in obesity surgery. Learn more Excellence in Sustainability Expand Content In recognition for its achievement and innovation in healthcare sustainability, Inova received 2022 Environmental Excellence Awards at all five hospitals and the System for Change Award from Practice Greenhealth, the nation's leading organization dedicated to environmental sustainability in healthcare. These awards recognize health systems, hospital facilities, health sector suppliers and member organizations for their work on waste minimization, green buildings, alternative transportation, sustainable purchasing and more. Excellence in Wound Care Expand Content The Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO) program at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital is the only program in Northern Virginia accredited by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS), and one of just 600 in the United States to carry this quality accreditation.  UHMS Accreditation means that our facility has met the highest standards of care and patient safety through a rigorous evaluation of our equipment, staff and training to ensure that the utmost quality is maintained within the specialty of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.