VA hospital ranked No. 10

The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center has rocketed to the No. 10 overall ranking among the nation's 155 VA hospitals.

That's an impressive leap from two years ago, when it ranked 79th in the Department of Veterans Affairs' rating system.

The hospital also was rated No. 2 for quality of care, which measures types of care delivered and whether that care improves health.

Veterans and staff packed the hospital auditorium Wednesday as U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., praised the medical center for its achievement.

"It seemed like a few years ago that when you thought of veterans' health care, you were thinking, 'I don't want to end up there,' " DeMint said. "Now people who are not veterans are wishing they could come here and be with you."

The sharp rise in ranking occurred under the leadership of John Barilich, who became the Charleston VA director in December 2006.

Barilich deferred credit to the VA staff. "When I came here, they truly believed in delivering quality of care," he said. "But in some areas there were shortages of staff, and we moved to correct that."

Three hundred employees joined the VA's operation in community-based outpatient clinics, primary care and mental health.

Also, Barilich said the VA's relationship with the Medical University of South Carolina has benefited veteran care.

"Veteran feedback told us that we needed to expand services," Barilich said.

Other recently expanded services include audiology at the Naval Health Clinic, 24-hour emergency room services at the main campus hospital and tele-health services to bring help closer to home for veterans suffering mental illness.

The overall ranking is based on three areas: access, patient satisfaction and quality of care. The rankings are cumulative and are updated monthly.

The most recent list, released last week, reflects measures taken in June.

Erie, Pa., topped the overall ranking list, while El Paso, Texas, was last.

The measures have been used for about 10 years and are part of a larger effort to turn the system around, Barilich said.

A portion of the monitoring falls to a private contractor that reviews medical records for best practices and outcomes.

Reach Jill Coley at 937-5719 or jcoley@postandcourier.com.