Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt has once again been named a national leader in pediatric health care, earning the distinction as the No. 1 pediatric hospital in Tennessee, and in a new regional ranking, sharing first place in the Southeast Region, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Children’s Hospital rankings.
In the newly released 2021-2022 report, Children’s Hospital continues to achieve a maximum 10 out of 10 nationally ranked pediatric specialty programs, with four specialties earning a spot in the top 20. Children’s Hospital is one of only 22 pediatric hospitals in the nation to rank in all 10 specialties, and the only pediatric facility in Tennessee to attain this goal.
Children’s Hospital has made the U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals list for 15 years — every year since the pediatric ranking’s inception in 2007. For the first time ever, the 2021-22 Best Children’s Hospitals includes new rankings by state, and also rankings for seven multistate regions. The Southeast Region includes 18 pediatric facilities in nine states (Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina). Children’s Hospital shares first place in the region with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
“An unwavering commitment to serve our most vulnerable patients from each member of the Children’s Hospital team drove these outstanding results. I am very proud of their recognition, especially to be chosen as the leader in the Southeast Region,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, , Deputy CEO and Chief Health System Officer for Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Pediatric Urology continued to be ranked in the top 10, earning a spot at No. 8. Urology also ranked first in the Southeast Region. The other pediatric specialties ranked are: Cancer (21); Cardiology and Heart Surgery (34); Diabetes & Endocrinology (32); Gastroenterology and GI Surgery (18); Neonatology (17) Nephrology (42); Neurology & Neurosurgery (28); Orthopedics (39); and Pulmonology (17).
“I offer my sincerest congratulations and gratitude to our specialty teams and all of our staff for again achieving a maximum 10 out of 10 nationally ranked programs and for the new recognition as the No. 1 Children’s Hospital in Tennessee and the entire Southeast Region,” said Meg Rush, MD, MMHC, President of Children’s Hospital.
“Throughout an unprecedented year, our teams have demonstrated tremendous resilience and adaptability, never wavering from their commitment to excellence in caring for the patients we serve. Our Children’s Hospital teams’ successes, year-over-year for 15 consecutive years, are a direct reflection of their continued dedication to high quality, compassionate care and to serving as a place of hope and healing for all children.”
The annual Best Children’s Hospitals report ranks the top 50 pediatric centers in 10 medical specialties. Scores are calculated using clinical data from 193 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 reputational surveys of board-certified pediatric specialists. In the 2021-2022 report, only 89 children’s hospitals were ranked in at least one of the pediatric specialties.
The full rankings can be viewed online at usnews.com/childrenshospitals.
