The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is again named among the top pediatric health care hospitals in U.S. News & World Report magazine’s annual Best Children’s Hospitals rankings released today.
Children’s Hospital is the only pediatric hospital in Middle Tennessee providing a comprehensive array of specialty and subspecialty services to receive this honor, achieving national rankings for 9 out of 10 of its pediatric specialty programs.
“We feel extremely privileged that Children’s Hospital is again being represented among the very best in the country,” said Luke Gregory, chief executive officer of Children’s Hospital. “This recognition validates the great work our physicians, nurses and staff are doing as they continue to work to improve the quality and broaden the scope of patient care for our youngest and most vulnerable patients.”
The U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals rankings for 2013-2014 recognize top performers among the nation’s 179 designated pediatric hospitals. Children’s Hospital has been ranked every year by U.S. News since the inception of the publication’s pediatric rankings, now in its seventh year.
“Once again, we are extremely pleased and proud of our national rankings, reflective of the commitment to excellence in our clinical service lines,” said Meg Rush, M.D., chief of staff and executive medical director of Children’s Hospital. “We know that many factors go into how specialties are reviewed to determine ranking. This year’s rankings, particularly in pediatric urology, show our steadfast focus on quality, service and excellence in all that we do.”
Children’s Hospital continues to be a national leader in Urology, which moved up four spots to rank 4th this year. Pulmonology improved its ranking, moving up two spots to 19th. Gastroenterology & GI Surgery also moved up this year, improving from 33rd to 32nd. Other specialties ranked this year include: Cancer (36), Cardiology and Heart Surgery (23), Neonatology (16), Neurology and Neurosurgery (43), Orthopaedics (34) and Pediatric Diabetes and Endocrinology (29).
“We are honored that the Division of Pediatric Urology has again been bestowed with the distinguished acknowledgement as a top program in the country,” said John W. Brock III, M.D., director of Pediatric Urology, surgeon-in-chief of Children’s Hospital and Monroe Carell Jr. Professor.
“This achievement speaks volumes for the teamwork, collaboration and comprehensive care we strive to deliver to give our patients the very best. I am so fortunate to work with such a qualified team of physicians, including Mark Adams, M.D., Douglass Clayton, M.D., Stacy Tanaka, M.D., John Pope IV, M.D., and John Thomas M.D., as well as a tremendously skilled staff in our clinic, hospital and operating rooms. It is their dedication and passionate care for children that drive our division’s success.”
The U.S. News and World Report Best Children’s Hospitals rankings recognize the top 50 children’s hospitals in 10 medical specialties and are calculated using clinical outcomes, reputation and other care-related data, including survival rates, nurse staffing, and subspecialist availability, among other factors. Eighty hospitals across the country ranked in one or more specialties.
In addition to the data, two surveys were conducted to help determine hospital reputation. In one, 150 pediatric specialists were surveyed and asked to recommend the hospitals they consider best for children with challenging problems. Also, 1,500 physicians were asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty, setting aside location and expense.
“We are extremely proud to be recognized by our peers as a top children’s hospital in multiple specialties,” said Steven Webber, MBChB, MRCP, Pediatrician-in-chief, chair of the Department of Pediatrics and James C. Overall Professor. “This recognition acknowledges our commitment to providing world-class medical care to the children in our region and beyond. Whether it’s discovering a cure of a childhood disease or performing a highly skilled surgery, we continue to strive to be leaders in children’s health.”
For more information, including full rankings and methodology, check out usnews.com/childrenshospitals and the August print issue of U.S. News & World Report.
