Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota ranked top pediatric hospital by U.S. News & World Report

MINNEAPOLIS, June 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota has once again been honored by U.S. News & World Report as a Best Children's Hospital. Children's has been ranked on the list every year since the program's inception in 2007. For 2014-2015, Children's was ranked in cardiology & heart surgery and pulmonology.

This is the fourth consecutive year that Children's has been ranked among the leaders in cardiology & heart surgery. Since Children's cardiovascular program was formed in 1973, more than 11,000 pediatric heart surgeries have been performed. Children's cardiovascular program is one of the largest in the region with some of the most impressive outcomes in the country. With its world-class cardiovascular center, Children's is the only center of its kind in the five-state region that offers all pediatric services in one location.

This is also the fourth time that Children's pulmonology program has been recognized. This comprehensive program includes the diagnosis, treatment and management of pulmonary disorders such as cystic fibrosis, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, croup and other conditions. For children who struggle to control their respiration, sleep staging and esophageal pH recordings, Children's has the only diagnostic sleep lab in the Upper Midwest dedicated solely to the care of pediatric patients.

"Children's is honored to once again be recognized by U.S. News for the excellent care, expertise and dedication that we provide to patients and families every day," said Alan L. Goldbloom, MD, CEO of Children's of Minnesota. "This recognition is a testament to the talented and committed doctors, nurses and staff members who go above and beyond to care for the children of our community and make Children's the best place in the region to come for care."

The Best Children's Hospitals rankings highlight U.S. News's top 50 U.S. pediatric facilities in cancer, cardiology & heart surgery, diabetes & endocrinology, gastroenterology & GI surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology & neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology. Eighty-nine hospitals ranked in at least one specialty, based on a combination of clinical data and reputation with pediatric specialists.

"Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota deserves high praise," said Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow, U.S. News & World Report. "We know how important it is to parents to have confidence in pediatric centers that show dedication and expertise in caring for a child facing a life-threatening, rare or demanding illness."

U.S. News introduced the Best Children's Hospitals rankings in 2007 to help families of sick children find the best medical care available. The rankings open the door to an array of detailed information about each hospital's performance.

Five-sixths of each hospital's score relied on patient outcomes and the care-related resources each hospital has available for pediatric care. To gather clinical data, U.S. News sent a clinical questionnaire to 183 pediatric hospitals. The remaining one-sixth of the score is based on a survey of 450 pediatric specialists and subspecialists in each specialty area over three years. The physicians were asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty, setting aside location and expense.

Survival rates, adequacy of nurse staffing, procedure volume and much more can be viewed on http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/pediatric-rankings and will be published in the U.S. News Best Hospitals 2015 guidebook, available in August.

About Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health systems in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system since 1924, Children's serves kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two free-standing hospitals, 12 primary and specialty-care clinics and six rehabilitation sites. Children's maintains its longstanding commitment to the community to improve children's health by providing high-quality, family-centered pediatric services and advancing those efforts through research and education. An award-winning health system, Children's is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children's hospital and by The Leapfrog Group for quality and efficiency. Please visit childrensMN.org.

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SOURCE Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota