U.S. News & World Report and Castle Connolly Collaborate to Help Consumers Find the Best Hospitals and the Top Doctors

WASHINGTON and NEW YORK, March 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- (http://www.myprgenie.com) -- The nation's two leading companies involved in quality metrics in healthcare-Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. and U.S. News & World Report-announced the creation of a powerful collaboration that will bring the Castle Connolly Top Doctors database to online visitors to the U.S. News website. The online database will become live on www.usnews.com in the coming months and will be linked with the U.S. News database of Best Hospitals.

"We believe this is an important step for both companies-it brings information on excellent physicians directly into the hands of consumers," said Dr. John J. Connolly, President and CEO of Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. "Given the unsettled future of the delivery and financing of healthcare and the changing nature of physician practices, it is critical that consumers have trusted sources of high quality information about both doctors and hospitals. The U.S. News/Castle Connolly collaboration will expand both companies' ability to achieve that goal."

"We're in the business of providing people with information that helps them make important decisions," said Brian Kelly, Editor of U.S. News & World Report. "We've long admired the work of Castle Connolly, a company that shares our commitment to quality. Together we'll be able to help more people make informed choices about managing their health."

On the U.S. News website, consumers will be able to search the full database of Top Doctors across the nation, including all specialties and subspecialties. The detailed physician profiles, including designation of doctors affiliated with Castle Connolly's Partnership for Excellence hospital program, will be drawn from Castle Connolly's growing database of over 27,000 physicians currently accessible online at www.castleconnolly.com. Selected physicians may also appear in Castle Connolly's acclaimed national print publications, including America's Top Doctors® and America's Top Doctors®  for Cancer, in its regional Top Doctors' publications, in one of 30+ regional magazines that feature Top Doctors, and /or as regional top doctors online within their local market.

The Castle Connolly Top Doctors selection process begins with online surveys of physicians in both academic and private practice positions across the U.S., who are asked to nominate physicians they consider best in their respective areas of medicine. Once these professional peer nominations are processed, a unique, physician-led research team carefully reviews the credentials of every physician being considered for inclusion as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor. This review includes, among other factors, scrutiny of medical education, training, hospital appointments, administrative posts, professional achievements, and malpractice and disciplinary history. Doctors do not and cannot pay to be included in any Castle Connolly listing or guide.

About U.S. News Media Group

The U.S. News Media Group is a multi-platform digital publisher of news and analysis, which includes U.S. News & World Report print publications, the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, www.usnews.com, and www.rankingsandreviews.com. Focusing on Health, Money, Education, Autos, Travel and Politics, the U.S. News Media Group has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. Signature franchises include the trademarked News You Can Use brand of journalism and "Best" series of consumer guides that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and more.

About Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.

Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., a healthcare research, information, and publishing company, has been America's trusted source for identifying top doctors for 20 years. The company publishes the consumer guides America's Top Doctors® America's Top Doctors® for Cancer, Top Doctors: New York Metro Area and other consumer guides. Castle Connolly works with more than 30 national and regional publications, such as Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Ladies' Home Journal, Men's Health, Women's Health, and New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, Oklahoma, and Chicago magazines to provide the information for their "Top Doctors" features.

Founded in 1991 by two respected leaders in healthcare, John K. Castle (Chairman) and John J. Connolly, Ed. D., (President and CEO), who served as board chairman and president, respectively, of New York Medical College. Its mission is to help consumers find the best healthcare through their guides, their website, and various consumer and business-oriented print and online partnerships. Castle Connolly's valuable Top Doctors information can also be accessed online at www.castleconnolly.com and on other affiliated websites. Castle Connolly's social media outlets can be found at www.facebook.com/TopDoctors and www.twitter.com/castleconnolly.

For further information about U.S. News & World Report, contact: Alexi Turbow, [email protected].

For further information about Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., contact: William Liss-Levinson, Ph.D., Vice-President, Chief Strategy & Operations Officer, 212.367.8400, ext. 14 or [email protected].

Contact: Bill Liss-Levinson, [email protected], 212.367.8400 ext. 14

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report; Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.