U.S. News Ranks University Hospitals Case Medical Center Among Nation's Best Hospitals

CLEVELAND, July 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center has once again been named one of the nation's top hospitals, according to U.S. News & World Report's annual Best Hospitals rankings. UH Case Medical Center was ranked in all 12 methodology-ranked specialties and in the Top 20 in four specialties - Cancer, Gastroenterology, Ear, Nose & Throat, and Orthopaedics.

The recent data underscores UH Case Medical Center's elite, national standing as a leader in clinical care as fewer than 150 out of nearly 5,000 eligible hospitals rank in at least one specialty. The hospital joins a prestigious group of only 13 hospitals in the country ranked in all 12 methodology-ranked specialties.

"We are extremely pleased with University Hospitals Case Medical Center's dramatic increase in this year's rankings and to consistently be named among the top academic medical centers in America," says Fred C. Rothstein, MD, President, UH Case Medical Center. "We are proud to be nationally recognized for our extraordinary commitment to quality, safety and best practices in patient care."

Overall, UH improved significantly in 10 specialties and the UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute returned to the list of ranked specialties. UH Case Medical Center is nationally ranked in:

-- Cancer (#18–highest ranking since 2005, improved 18 spots from 2011)
-- Cardiology & Heart Surgery (#29–first time ranking among top 50 since 2007)
-- Diabetes & Endocrinology (#38)
-- Ear, Nose & Throat (#19–highest ranking in 12 years)
-- Gastroenterology (#14)
-- Geriatrics (#27)
-- Gynecology (#27)
-- Nephrology (#31–highest rank in 12 years)
-- Neurology & Neurosurgery (#28–moved up 19 spots)
-- Orthopaedics (#20)
-- Pulmonology (#38)
-- Urology (#40)

Additionally, U.S. News has added state hospital rankings this year and UH Case Medical Center ranked #2 in the State of Ohio. The hospital also is ranked #2 in the Cleveland Metro area and among the Best Hospitals in the Glaciated Plateau Region as well as recognized for its expertise in Psychiatry.

The 23rd annual Best Hospitals rankings were published by U.S. News in collaboration with RTI International, a research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Highlights of the 2012-13 rankings will appear in the U.S. News Best Hospitals 2013 guidebook, which goes on sale in August. The rankings are based on a combination of factors including reputation, mortality rate, patient safety, and other care-related factors such as nursing and patient services.

The guidebook will also include a best children's hospital section in which UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital is ranked for the second consecutive year in all 10 pediatric specialties and its neonatal care as # 5 in the nation. These "America's Best Children's Hospitals" rankings were published online in June by U.S. News.

The hospital rankings, said U.S. News Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow, are like a GPS-type aid to help steer patients to hospitals with strong skills in the procedures and medical conditions that present the biggest challenges. "All of these hospitals are the kinds of medical centers that should be on your list when you need the best care," said Comarow. "They are where other hospitals send the toughest cases."

The complete rankings and methodology are available at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals.

About University Hospitals
University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of hospitals, outpatient centers and primary care physicians.  At the core of our health system is University Hospitals Case Medical Center.  The primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, University Hospitals Case Medical Center is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research centers of excellence in the nation and the world, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopedics and spine, radiology and radiation oncology, neurosurgery and neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, organ transplantation and human genetics. Its main campus includes the internationally celebrated UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children's hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. For more information, go to www.uhhospitals.org

SOURCE University Hospitals Case Medical Center