Richmond has obvious credentials to support its claim as one of the best medical/health-service areas in the country. Eighteen general and specialized hospitals employ 2,000 physicians in the metropolitan area. The Columbia/HCA health system operates three hospitals in Greater Richmond: Chip-penham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals have been merged to form CJW Medical Center, nationally recognized as a heart-bypass surgery center and also on the cutting edge of neuro-science; Henrico Doctors' Hospital, which performs organ transplants and is home of the Virginia Cancer Treatment Center; and Retreat Hospital, which offers mind-body medicine, wound healing, and geriatric care. Bon Secours Richmond Health System, a not-for-profit Catholic system, operates three hospitals and numerous outpatient service sites.
Largest among the area's major health-care institutions is the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. The Medical Center provides a real-life laboratory for teaching, research, community service, and health-care delivery and is the centerpiece of the health sciences campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. The hospital has the area's only Level I Trauma Center and sees more than 30,000 admissions per year, with 500,000 outpatients seen annually.