About Saint Joseph's Hospital

Celebrating its 125 anniversary in April 2005, Saint Joseph’s was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1880 and is Atlanta’s oldest hospital. Today, the 346-bed, acute-care hospital is recognized as one of the top specialty-referral hospitals in the Southeast.

As a leader in cardiac, neurologic, vascular, gastrointestinal, respiratory, orthopaedic and cancer care, among others, Saint Joseph’s offers its patients the latest procedures and treatments by providing its medical staff of more than 750 physicians with research services and the most advanced technology available. In addition to serving the metro-Atlanta area, patients come from all over Georgia and nearby states because of Saint Joseph’s specialized services, excellent reputation and unique patient experience.

Saint Joseph’s is known throughout the Southeast region as a center of excellence for cardiac and vascular services and is nationally recognized for its high quality of care. With the 12th largest cardiac program in the country, Saint Joseph’s performs approximately 1,500 open-heart surgeries per year and 10,000 cardiac catheterizations procedures a year, placing it in the top 10 percent of hospitals in the United States.

Saint Joseph's Hospital is one of only two sites in Georgia to offer minimally-invasive surgical procedures using the da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System and is the only hospital in Atlanta performing cardiac valve replacement and coronary bypass surgery. The da Vinci enables surgeons to do coronary bypass surgery on a beating heart without opening the chest. Surgical instruments are introduced into the chest cavity through three small incisions between the ribs so no bones are broken and there are no large incisions. Using the da Vinci, the only FDA-approved surgical robotic system, patients recover faster and have fewer complications.

The da Vinci Surgical System is operated by a surgeon sitting a few feet away from the patient at a console. Using a high-powered camera, the surgeon guides the arms of the robot that holds surgical instruments which are inserted into the patient through small, key hold-sized incisions. The da Vinci's highly accurate instruments allow the surgeon to move his own hands – and the robot's to conduct precise movement with extraordinary control and range of motion. The da Vinci's video monitoring system provides a three-dimensional view of the surgery with magnification ten times that of the naked eye.

Saint Joseph’s five-star designation by HealthGrades for excellence in heart and vascular care means the hospital is one of the best for handling heart attacks, interventional cardiology procedures, carotid endarterectomies and peripheral vascular bypasses. Saint Joseph’s was ranked in the top 10 percent in the nation and “best in Georgia” for cardiovascular cases.

For a fifth year, Modern Healthcare named Saint Joseph’s as one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® for Cardiovascular for superior outcomes related to angioplasty and heart bypass surgery, as well as for caring for patients with acute heart attacks and congestive heart failure. The list, published in October 2004, is based on Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success, a study by Solucient, the nations leading source of information products for the healthcare industry. Solucient also named Saint Joseph’s as a 100 Top Hospital for orthopaedic care.

Also in 2004, Saint Joseph’s was designated as a PremiumSM Cardiac Specialty Center by United Health reflecting national recognition of the cardiac care it provides. The program identifies hospitals nationwide that are leaders in providing high quality health care for a range of complex health problems.

As a result of its medical excellence and compassionate care, in 2004, Saint Joseph’s received numerous awards including the distinguished Magnet Recognition for Nursing Excellence from the American Nurses Association Credentialing Center for the third time, making it one of only three hospitals in the country, and the only hospital in Atlanta, to be recognized with such distinction. Saint Joseph’s also is the only Atlanta hospital named by J.D. Power and Associates as a Distinguished Hospital for Service Excellence.

At the core of Saint Joseph's long tradition of service is its Catholic mission dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves. Saint Joseph's Health System, which includes the hospital, Mercy Care Services and Mercy Foundation, ensures Saint Joseph's ability to serve all those in need.

Saint Joseph’s Mercy Care Services, one of the largest outreach efforts in Atlanta, provides health care and essential services to the homeless, new immigrants, and the uninsured at multiple sites throughout the metropolitan area and to elderly and disabled persons at its site in Rome, Ga.

Sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, Saint Joseph’s is a non-profit hospital and a member of Catholic Health East.