The Emergency Department at Wake Forest Baptist won a Thomson Reuters 2009 Healthcare Advantage Award for performance efficiency - reducing length of stay and the number of patient "walk-outs" by half. The ED has twice been named a Best Overall Performer for Emergency Department flow by University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC). The ED records more than 92,500 patient visits each year and has applied process improvement methodologies to optimize patient visits, resulting in the lowest average length of stay recorded by UHC benchmarking studies - 3.29 hours - for Level 1 Trauma Centers. Read the press release.

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The Heart Center was awarded the American College of Cardiology Foundation’s NCDR ACTION Registry–GWTG Gold Performance Achievement Award for 2009. The Gold Performance award recognizes commitment and success for implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients during the past year. The award signifies that Wake Forest Baptist’s Heart Center has reached an aggressive goal of treating coronary artery disease patients with core standard levels of care outlined by the guidelines and recommendations of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA). The registry provides guidelines for treating heart attack patients according to the most current, science-based guidelines and establishes a national standard for understanding and improving the quality, safety, and outcomes of care provided for patients with coronary artery disease. Read the press release.

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The Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest Baptist is one of only 40 centers in the nation designated as comprehensive by the National Cancer Institute, indicating the “gold standard” for patient care, research and education. Read the press release.

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The Stroke Center has been awarded Advanced Certification Gold Seal of Approval™ from the Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers, indicating compliance with best practices. Read the press release.

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The Heart Center’s Acute Myocardial Infarction and Heart Failure programs have been awarded Certification Gold Seal of Approval™ from the Joint Commission indicating the highest standards of care and safety. Read the press release.

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The Chest Pain Center at Wake Forest Baptist was the first in the region to be accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers for swift response and outstanding patient care. Read the press release.

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The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) awarded 3-year accreditation as an American Society of Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence to Wake Forest Baptist’s Bariatric Surgery Center. Read the press release.

The Bariatric Surgery Program at Wake Forest Baptist is also designated a Blue Cross and Blue Shield Center of Distinction for Bariatric Surgery. Read the press release.

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Our Level I Trauma Center was first in North Carolina to be verified by the American College of Surgeons. Read the press release.

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Brenner Children’s Hospital operates a Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) delivering the highest levels of neonatal care found in the region.

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Nurses at Wake Forest Baptist earned one of the first 14 Magnet Nurse Awards in the United States in 1999, the first in the Carolinas. The American Nurses Credentialing Center established this prestigious award to recognize nursing excellence.

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The Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest Baptist is designated a Blue Distinction^® Center for Complex and Rare Cancers by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA). It is the only cancer center in the Triad awarded this designation, and one of 80 in the U.S. The designation helps patients find expert care for complex, rare cancers. Criteria include multidisciplinary, sub-specialty teams with expertise across cancer disciplines in medicine, surgery, radiation oncology, pathology and radiology; quality management and improvement programs for cancer care; and critical volume of experience in treating rare and complex cancers. Read the press release.

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The Breast Care Center of the NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest Baptist is one of only 2 centers in North Carolina and one of 27 nationally to be granted full accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), which is administered by the American College of Surgeons. Accredited centers commit to provide the highest level of quality breast care and to undergo a rigorous evaluation of their performance. The Breast Care Center exceeded requirements in all 27 required areas of breast care, from screening through diagnosis and therapy to reconstruction. NAPBC-accreditation ensures patients comprehensive, state-of-the-art care; a multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best treatment options; information about clinical trials and new treatment options; and quality care close to home. Read the press release.

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The Department of Dermatology at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has been named a Clinical Center of Excellence in Dermatology by Medical Economics magazine, which referred to the department as one of the finest in the country.

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The Downtown Health Plaza’s Radiology Department has been awarded a 3-year term of accreditation in mammography as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Read the press release.

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The Center for Reproductive Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine has been awarded accreditation by the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation of the College of American Pathologists (CAP). Read the press release.

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The Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Program (ECMO), part of Respiratory Care Services, has received the Excellence in Life Support Award from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization. The ECMO team supports neonatal, pediatric and adult patients with cardiac and/or respiratory failure. Read the press release.

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The Digestive Health Center at Wake Forest Baptist is among only 10 hospital programs nationwide to be recognized by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) for quality and safety. The ASGE recognition program honors endoscopy units for promoting quality and following quality assurance and endoscopy reprocessing guidelines, as well as the infection control guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Read the Press Release.