U.S. News Media Group Releases 2010-11 Best Hospitals Rankings

WASHINGTON, July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News Media Group has released the 2010-11 Best Hospitals rankings, marking the 21st year of the influential annual analysis. The rankings, including an Honor Roll of 14 hospitals with high scores in six or more specialties, are posted online at www.usnews.com/besthospitals and will be featured in the August print issue of U.S.News & World Report, which will go on sale July 27.

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The latest rankings showcase 152 different medical centers ranked in one or more of 16 specialties: cancer; diabetes and endocrinology; ear, nose, and throat; gastroenterology; geriatrics; gynecology; heart and heart surgery; kidney disorders; neurology and neurosurgery; ophthalmology; orthopedics; psychiatry; pulmonology; rehabilitation; rheumatology, and urology. Full data is available online for 1,740 more hospitals that met the eligibility requirements but did not score high enough to be ranked.

The mission of Best Hospitals from the start has been to help guide patients who need an especially high level of care because of difficult surgery, a challenging condition, or added risk because of other health problems or age. "When the stakes are high, you want the best care you can get for yourself or someone close to you," said Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. "These hospitals are accustomed to seeing the sickest patients day in and day out."

Hard numbers stand behind most of the specialty rankings — death rates, patient safety, procedure volume, and other objective data. Responses to a national survey, in which physicians were asked to name hospitals they consider best in their specialty for the toughest cases, also were factored in. These reputational survey responses were the entire basis of the rankings in ophthalmology, psychiatry, rehabilitation, and rheumatology. In these specialties, information such as death rates adds little value.

A feature of the online 2010-11 Best Hospitals guide is a video exploration, with Comarow conducting the tour, of rankings in three high-profile specialties — cancer, heart and heart surgery, and neurology and neurosurgery — and the Honor Roll. "The videos not only bring Best Hospitals to life, but also highlight examples of first-rate hospitals that provide high-quality care," said U.S. News Editor Brian Kelly.

Achieving Honor Roll status is a special distinction that signals a unique combination of excellence and breadth of expertise. Out of the 152 medical centers ranked in Best Hospitals, 14 are on the Honor Roll — the only centers that ranked at or close to the top in at least six of the 16 specialties.

The 2010-11 Honor Roll

1. Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
3. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
4. Cleveland Clinic
5. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
6. New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell
7. University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
8. Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis
9. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
10. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
11. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston
12. University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle
13. UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
14. University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, Ann Arbor

About the U.S. News Media Group

The U.S. News Media Group is a multi-platform publisher of news analysis, research and rankings which includes the monthly U.S. News & World Report magazine, the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, and the company's websites, www.usnews.com, and www.rankingsandreviews.com. Focusing on Health, Money, Education, and Politics & Policy, 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. The U.S. News Media Group's signature franchises include its News You Can Use® brand of journalism and its "Best" series of consumer guides that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, health plans, and more.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report