Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt has once again been named a leader in pediatric health care in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals annual rankings, marking the 13th consecutive year the hospital has made the list.
In the newly released 2019-2020 rankings, Children’s Hospital, a nonprofit organization, again achieved a maximum 10 out of 10 pediatric specialty programs to be nationally ranked, with four of those in the top 20 in the country.
News about the rankings comes on the heels of the much-anticipated opening of Children’s Hospital’s latest expansion, designed to expand the size and scope of the quality and innovative care the facility and its clinics provide daily to more than 1,700 children.
“We appreciate that once again Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading pediatric hospitals. The skills and compassion demonstrated by the entire Children’s team are what make this possible. I want to express my gratitude to our physicians, nurses and staff for their remarkable work to improve the lives of the children and families we serve,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System Officer for Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
To create the pediatric rankings, U.S. News gathered key clinical data from nearly 200 medical centers through a detailed survey that looks at measures such as patient safety, infection prevention and adequacy of nurse staffing. In addition, part of each hospital’s score is derived from surveys of more than 11,000 pediatric specialists who are asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty. In 2019, 84 children’s hospitals were ranked in at least one of the pediatric specialties we evaluate.
“It is such an honor to once again be recognized as one of the nation’s best hospitals through our rankings in all 10 specialties by U.S. News & World Report. Our physicians, nurses, and staff work tirelessly to provide excellence in care and to develop innovative programs that are the underpinnings of these rankings every year. We strive each day to serve the needs of our patients and families,” said Meg Rush, MD, MMHC, chief of staff and executive medical director of Children’s Hospital. “To be recognized for the 13th consecutive year in all 10 specialties is a reflection of the unwavering commitment of everyone who works in Children’s Hospital. I offer sincere thanks and congratulations for outstanding teamwork within and across disciplines.”
Pediatric Urology continues to earn the distinction as a premier destination program, earning the No. 7 spot in the rankings. The program has achieved a top 10 ranking every year since U.S. News began ranking pediatric urology in 2009.
“I am extremely proud that for over a decade our Pediatric Urology team has been consistently recognized as highly specialized, world-class leaders in providing the very best pediatric urologic care. We are blessed that families, who travel from all over the country, entrust us to deliver quality and compassionate care to their children. It is truly an honor for me to work alongside such a tremendous group of physicians, nurses and staff in both our inpatient and outpatient care areas who are committed to excellence in care, to innovative and cutting-edge therapies, and to training the next generation of specialists,” said John W. Brock III, MD, director of the Division of Pediatric Urology, Monroe Carell Jr. Professor and Surgeon-in-chief of Children’s Hospital.
“As a hospital, we continue to enjoy some of the highest rankings in our institution’s history, and that’s a direct reflection of everyone’s hard work and devotion to delivering outstanding care to all children,” said Brock, who is also senior vice president of Pediatric Surgical Services.
Among the other pediatric specialties, four moved up in the rankings. Gastroenterology improved from 24th to 17th; Nephrology jumped from 38th to 24th; Diabetes & Endocrinology moved from 31st to 23rd; and Cardiology & Heart Surgery improved from 42nd to 36th. Other specialties earning spots in the rankings are: Cancer (14); Pulmonology (15); Orthopaedics (26); Neonatology (28); and Neurology & Neurosurgery (34).
“I am extremely pleased that we continue to earn the distinction as a premier pediatric health care institution. The honor of achieving 10 out of 10 ranked pediatric specialties is reflective of our faculty, staff and trainees, who remain committed to and passionate about the care of children as well as our enterprises’ four mission areas — research, clinical care, education and advocacy and service. The recognitions are well deserved,” said Steven Webber, MBChP, MRCP, chair of the Department of Pediatrics and James C. Overall Professor.
Expanding on the quality of care and available services for patients, Children’s Hospital’s latest addition, supported by the Growing to News Heights Campaign, is a four-floor, 160,000-square-foot expansion which will bring the hospital’s total footprint to more than 1 million square feet. The newest expansion floor, the Pediatric Heart Institute floor, opened June 18, with the second floor set to open later this year.
“We are proud that for the 13th consecutive year Children’s Hospital and its specialties are ranked among the nation’s best in pediatric care. This honor is particularly fitting as we prepare to open our new expansion floor to serve even more children with the highest quality of care. I want to congratulate everyone and say, ‘thank you’ for the hard work, dedication and passion,” said Luke Gregory, chief executive officer of Children’s Hospital.