HOSPITAL RANKINGS: U.S. News Results Out Monday
For the ninth year in a row, Johns Hopkins Hospital received top honors in U.S. News & World Report's 10th annual "America's Best Hospitals" issue, slated to hit the newsstands on Monday. High placement on the list is a "powerful marketing tool," the Washington Times reports. "Ratings by a credible third party I think are worth their weight in gold," said Raymond Crosby, executive vice president with Annapolis- based Crosby Marketing Communications. "More and more health care consumers are looking for quick, credible guides that say this provider is superior to that provider," he said (Cleary, 7/9). This year, the list ranks 188 hospitals in 16 specialties, a significant jump over the 132 evaluated in past years. Twelve of the specialties -- cancer; cardiology and heart surgery; digestive tract; ear, nose and throat; geriatrics; gynecology; hormonal disorders; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; respiratory disorders; rheumatology; and urology -- are ranked according to a three-part model that combines reputation, death rate and other medical data, including nursing staff and technology. In the remaining four areas -- eyes, pediatrics, psychiatry and rehabilitation -- hospitals are ranked by reputation alone, as death rates were unavailable. To make the list, "a hospital had to be cited by at least 3% of randomly selected physicians who responded to a U.S. News reputational survey over a three-year period." Here's the "Honor Roll":
- 1. Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD
- 2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
- 3. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- 4. Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
- 5. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
- 6. UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
- 7. Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO
- 8. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
- 9. University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI
- 10. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- 11. New York and Presbyterian Hospital, NY, NY
- 12. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Presbyterian, Pittsburgh, PA
- 13. University of Chicago Hospitals, Chicago, IL
High Marks
Johns Hopkins ranked first in gynecology, urology, eye care and ear, nose and throat. The Mayo Clinic came out ahead in digestive, hormonal disorders, rheumatology, orthopedics, and neurology and neurosurgery. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center ranked at the head of the pack in cancer, Cleveland Clinic topped the list in cardiology and heart surgery, National Jewish Medical Center in Denver took first place in respiratory disorders and UCLA Medical Center ranked first in geriatrics (U.S. News & World Report release, 7/9).