SARASOTA, Fla. (Sept. 10, 2025) – Sarasota Memorial Health Care System has been named to Newsweek’s list of the “World’s Best Smart Hospitals 2026,” earning international recognition for its leadership in health technology and innovation.
The ranking, developed by Newsweek and global data firm Statista, highlights 350 leading hospitals across 30 countries that excel in digital health tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and augmented reality. Hospitals were evaluated based on peer recommendations, surveys, and accreditations from organizations such as The Joint Commission.
A Newsweek article accompanying the list highlighted Sarasota Memorial for its innovation, with Sarasota Memorial Health Care System Chief Operating Officer Jeff Limbocker stating that the recognition reflects the organization's continued investment in smart solutions aimed at enhancing quality of care, safety, and efficiency.
“We’re a high-level, high-quality health care system, but we remain grounded in our role as a community hospital,” Limbocker said. “Our ‘North Star’ is consistent quality care and patient safety — and that’s what attracts the best staff and inspires innovation.”
Among SMH’s recent advancements, Newsweek recognized the health system’s use of robotic-assisted surgery to enhance patient outcomes, virtual reality use in simulation and education, the systemwide transition to the Epic electronic health record system in 2026, AI use to streamline clinical work flows, along with plans to open a third hospital campus in North Port.
“The real backbone of a smart hospital is having smart people,” Limbocker added. “We all talk about AI and robotic process automation and other tools, but ultimately, we have a lot of smart people here, a lot of dedicated people on our medical staff. They make us smart. The rest is our ability to get there fast.”
To see the rankings from Newsweek, and the article highlighting SMH’s debut to the list, click here.
About Sarasota Memorial Health Care System
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional medical center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of care, with 2,500 physicians and advanced practice providers, and nearly 2 million patient visits a year across its network of care. Sarasota County’s largest employer, the community-owned health system includes two full-service hospitals in Sarasota and Venice, freestanding ERs in North Port and Lakewood Ranch, a rehabilitation hospital, behavioral health hospital, skilled nursing facility and comprehensive network of outpatient centers, urgent care clinics and physician practices. Founded in 1925, SMH is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2025 and encouraging community members to visit smh.com/100 throughout the year for centennial events and updates.