ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new national ranking of American hospitals again places the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers among the country's finest, with a rank of 13th over all and recognition for excellence in 15 areas of specialized care.
The new rankings, compiled by U.S. News & World Report magazine and released online today, mark the 13th year in a row that U-M has been named to the honor roll of "America's Best Hospitals."
The U-M Hospitals and Health Centers are part of the U-M Health System, which has also been recognized by U.S. News in recent months as having one of the nation's top children's hospitals and one of its top medical schools.
No other hospitals in Michigan were among the 19 institutions on the national honor roll, which signifies across-the-board excellence in multiple medical specialties.
U.S. News also ranks each of those medical specialties individually, and U-M achieved a high national ranking in 15 categories. In many cases, U-M was the only Michigan hospital ranked among the top few dozen in the country for each specific treatment area. Of the 5,453 hospitals considered for the rankings, only 170 made the list in even one specialty.
In three categories - gastrointestinal disorders; ear, nose and throat diseases; and geriatrics -- U-M made the top 10 in the country, ranking ninth, tenth and tenth, respectively.
Eight other U-M specialties ranked in the top 20 in the country. These include the specialty care of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center, at 17th, and the U-M Cardiovascular Center, at 18th, as well as the Kellogg Eye Center's ophthalmological care, and U-M treatment of endocrine, kidney, respiratory, rheumatological and urological disorders.
"Our strength across the board, in many areas of specialty, makes it possible for us to retain this place in the top tier of American hospitals year after year," says Doug Strong, M.B.A., director and chief executive officer of the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers. "That means that every one of our nearly 19,000 physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and staff across the entire Health System can be proud of this achievement, and of other national recognition we've received for our high-quality care."
U.S. News determines the "America's Best Hospitals" rankings based on hospital reputation in particular specialties, and, for all but four specialties, on death rates and a mix of care-related factors such as nursing and patient services. Rankings in Ophthalmology, Psychiatry, Rehabilitation and Rheumatology are determined by reputation among board-certified specialists.
Earlier this year, U.S. News ranked the U-M Medical School 11th among the best research-oriented medical schools, in a tie with Columbia University's medical school. U-M was also ranked 17th among medical schools for training students in primary care medicine. Four of U-M's medical specialty training programs made the top 10, including two programs - geriatrics and women's health - that finished 5th nationally. U-M was ranked seventh for training students in both internal medicine and family medicine.
In May, in the magazine's first-ever Best Children's Hospitals rankings, the U-M C.S. Mott Children's Hospital ranked among the nation's best in all seven specialties. The highest specialty ranking was 4th in the country, for children's heart care. For more information on recognitions for the U-M Health System, visit www.med.umich.edu/1busi/bests.htm.
For the 2008 America's Best Hospitals rankings, U-M's rank in each specialty category is:
Overall -- 13
Cancer -- 17
Ear, Nose and Throat -- 10
Endocrinology -- 16
Gastrointestinal -- 9
Geriatrics -- 10
Gynecology -- 22
Heart and Heart Surgery -- 18
Kidney -- 18
Neurology and Neurosurgery -- 31
Ophthalmology -- 16
Orthopedics -- 30
Rehabilitation -- 21
Respiratory Disorders -- 15
Rheumatology -- 15
Urology -- 14
The "America's Best Hospitals" methodology was devised in 1993 at the University of Chicago. The 2008 rankings were produced by RTI International in Triangle Park, N.C.
