Best hospitals.

• Position: North Carolina's

Health Grades Inc. compiled these rankings for Business North Carolina using Medicare data adjusted for hospitals that receive sicker patients. It reports on about 5,000 hospitals nationwide in 26 procedures and conditions. Hospitals with an asterisk beside their name ranked among the nation's top 10% for the categories under which they are listed.

CLINICAL EXCELLENCE Gaston Memorial Gastonia Hospital Rex Hospital Raleigh Ranked among the top 5% in the nation for lowest risk-adjusted mortality and in-hospital complications. OVERALL CARDIAC SERVICES 1. Rex Hospital * Raleigh 2. Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast Concord 3. Southeastern Regional Medical Center Lumberton 4. WakeMed Raleigh 5. Mission Hospitals Asheville 6. Frye Regional Medical Center Hickory 7. Durham Regional Hospital Durham 8. FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital Pinehurst 9. High Point Regional Hospital High Point 10. Cape Fear Valley Medical Center Fayetteville Based on mortality for coronary-bypass surgery., valve-replacement surgery, coronary interventional procedures, heart attack and heart failure. CARDIOLOGY SERVICES 1. Rex Hospital Raleigh 2. Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Winston-Salem 3. Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast Concord 4. Southeastern Regional Medical Center Lumberton 5. Cape Fear Valley Medical Center Fayetteville 6. Frye Regional Medical Center Hickory 7. FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital Pinehurst 8. High Point Regional Hospital High Point 9. WakeMed Raleigh 10. Mission Hospitals Asheville Based on mortality for coronary interventional procedures, heart attack and heart failure. CARDIAC SURGERY 1. Durham Regional Hospital* Durham 2. WakeMed Raleigh 3. Mission Hospitals Asheville 4. Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast Concord 5. Frye Regional Medical Center Hickory 6. Southeastern Regional Medical Center Lumberton 7. FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital Pinehurst 8. CarolinaEast Medical Center New Bern 9. Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy Charlotte 10. Rex Hospital Raleigh Based on mortality for coronary-bypass surgery and valve-replacement surgery. CORONARY INTERVENTIONAL PROCEDURES 1. Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center * Winston-Salem 2. Rex Hospital Raleigh 3. Alamance Regional Medical Center Burlington 4. Southeastern Regional Medical Center Lumberton 5. Frye Regional Medical Center Hickory 6. Pitt County Memorial Hospital Greenville 7. FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital Pinehurst 8. Duke University Hospital Durham 9...