| July 16, 2009 | Media contact: Mary Masson E-mail: mfmasson@med.umich.edu Phone: 734-764-2220 |
U-M Hospitals & Health Centers rank 14th in the U.S.
Ann Arbor, Mich. — The University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers were again named among the nation’s best, ranking 14th overall in the annual U.S. News & World Report honor roll of “America’s Best Hospitals.”
The rankings, released online today, recognized the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers in 14 areas of specialized care. This is the 15th year in a row that U-M has landed on the magazine’s honor roll.
No other hospitals in Michigan were among the 21 facilities on the national honor roll, which judges institutions on across-the-board excellence in multiple medical specialties.
“U-M is proud to be recognized again as a leader among American hospitals. It is our wide-ranging strength in so many specialties that keeps us high on the list year after year,” said Doug Strong, M.B.A., director and chief executive officer of the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers.
“This is a level of recognition that is earned by every one of our thousands of physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and staff across the entire health system — the people who demonstrate the Michigan difference every day.”
The U-M Hospitals and Health Centers are part of the U-M Health System, which also has been recognized by U.S. News as having one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals and top medical schools.
In today’s ranking, U.S. News gave U-M a high national ranking in 14 categories. In most cases, U-M was the highest-ranked Michigan hospital for each specific treatment area. Of the 4,861 hospitals considered for the rankings, only 174 made the list in even one specialty.
In 11 specialty rankings, U-M ranked in the top 20 nationwide. These include treatment of ear, nose & throat diseases (ranked 11th); gastrointestinal disorders (ranked 14th); geriatrics (ranked 15th); and rheumatology (ranked 13th).
Also recognized was the specialty care at U-M’s Comprehensive Cancer Center (ranked 19th), U-M’s Cardiovascular Center (ranked 16th) and the Kellogg Eye Center’s ophthalmologic care (ranked 16th).
U.S. News determined the “America’s Best Hospitals” rankings based on hospital reputation in particular specialties, and, for all but four specialties, on death rates and a mix of care-related factors such as nursing, patient services and patient safety (new this year). Rankings in Ophthalmology, Psychiatry, Rehabilitation and Rheumatology are determined by reputation among board-certified specialists.
Earlier this year, U.S. News ranked the U-M Medical School 11th among the best research-oriented medical schools, tied with University of California-Los Angeles. U-M was also ranked 12th among medical schools for training students in primary care medicine.
In May, the magazine ranked the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital among the best pediatric hospitals in the nation, ranking fourth in heart and heart surgery, 11th in kidney care, 11th in orthopedics, along with nation rankings in the pediatric specialties of cancer, diabetes, digestive disorders, neonatal care and respiratory disorders.
The University of Michigan's School of Nursing was ranked fifth in the nation by US News in 2007, the most recent ranking available.
In March, U-M’s Hospitals and Health Centers also were recognized for high-quality care by the Consumers’ Checkbook ranking, published by AARP The Magazine, and the Thomson/Reuters Top 100 Hospitals ranking.
For the 2009 America’s Best Hospitals rankings, U-M’s rank in each specialty category is:
Ear, Nose & Throat: 11
Rheumatology: 13
Digestive disorders: 14
Urology: 14
Geriatrics: 15
Respiratory disorders: 15
Heart and Heart Surgery: 16
Ophthalmology: 16
Diabetes and Endocrinology: 17
Kidney: 18
Cancer: 19
Rehabilitation: 21
Gynecology: 23
Orthopedics: 31
The “America’s Best Hospitals” methodology was devised in 1993 at the University of Chicago. The 2009 rankings were produced by RTI International, a North Carolina-based research organization.
U.S. News’ 2009-10 publication of “America’s Best Hospitals” will be on sale at newsstands on Tuesday, July 21. The magazine also has produced an online consumer guide. For more information, visit www.usnews.com/besthospitals.
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Written by Mary Masson
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