UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital In Nation's Top Five for Treatment of Newborns and Children with Breathing Disorders

CLEVELAND, June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital at University Hospitals Case Medical Center once again is ranked as one of the nation's top children's hospitals, according to U.S.News & World Report's annual rankings of pediatric hospitals, and for the second year in a row is ranked in all ten children's specialties.

For the fifth consecutive year, UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital ranked among the top five children's hospitals for the care of newborns in its neonatal intensive care unit. The hospital also ranked in the top 10 for two other specialties – Pulmonology (#5) and Orthopaedics (#10) and climbed in six areas, with its Diabetes & Endocrinology and Cancer specialties jumping to number eleven and twelve respectively.

"We are proud to once again be recognized as one of the nation's leading children's hospitals," says Michael Konstan, MD, Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital.  "Rainbow has a rich legacy in pediatrics and has been ranked as a top children's hospital on this elite list for 22 years, since the inception of the U.S.News rankings. This prestigious recognition demonstrates our abiding commitment to caring for the children of Northeast Ohio and beyond."

UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital's rankings in all ten medical and surgical children's specialties are:

• #12 in Cancer
• #41 in Cardiology & Heart Surgery
• #11 in Diabetes & Endocrinology
• #50 in Gastroenterology
• #5 in Neonatology
• #16 in Nephrology
• #25 in Neurology & Neurosurgery
• #10 in Orthopaedics
• #5 in Pulmonology
• #26 in Urology

In addition to the top ten rankings, UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital's pediatric cancer ranking jumped from 22 to 12 this year.  It comes after the announcement of the Angie Fowler Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Institute, made possible by a $17 million gift by Char and Chuck Fowler and family last July in memory of their daughter, Angie, who passed away from melanoma at age 14.  The largest individual donation in the hospital's history, the gift furthers its national leadership in childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancers. It also dovetails with innovative work ongoing in pediatric cancer research and treatment, such as advances in sickle cell treatment.  "This recognition continues our momentum in pediatric cancer," says John Letterio, MD, Chief of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital.  "But there is no greater reward than curing children of cancer, and giving them the ability to survive and live happy, healthy lives."

A pediatric pulmonologist who has invested his career pursuing a cure for cystic fibrosis, Dr. Konstan is particularly proud of the ascent to number five of the Pediatric Pulmonology Division, which has ranked in the top ten since U.S.News started ranking specialties.  Under Dr. Konstan's leadership, the hospital's Leroy W. Matthews Cystic Fibrosis Center is nationally recognized for its research, new therapies and breakthroughs in the treatment of CF.

"We are very proud to be ranked so highly once again in neonatology," says Jonathan Fanaroff, MD, JD, Co-Medical Director of the NICU at UH Rainbow.  The acknowledgement continues the recognition of UH Rainbow's work with the most fragile newborns, from pioneering neonatology in the 1950s to opening the Quentin & Elisabeth Alexander Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in 2009, the $26.2 million state-of-the-art NICU.  "Rainbow has a rich history of excellence in neonatology and we are always looking toward the future, and how we can continue to enhance the care we provide to our babies."

Hospital specialties were ranked using a three-part combination of reputation, outcomes and care-related measures, such as nursing care, advanced technology, infection control and safety measures.  A complete list of the children's hospital rankings will be published online at www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals. 

About University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital

Located on the campus of University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital is a 244-bed, full-service pediatric hospital and academic medical center, solely dedicated to the health care needs of children. A trusted leader in children's health care for more than 125 years, UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital consistently ranks among the top children's hospitals in the nation. As the region's premier resource for pediatric referrals, UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital's dedicated team of more than 1,300 pediatric specialists uses the most advanced treatments and latest innovations to deliver the complete range of pediatric specialty services for more than 700,000 patient encounters each year. Learn more at www.RainbowBabies.org

SOURCE University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital