Survey Ranks Texas Medical Center Hospitals Among Nation's Best
M. D. Anderson Named Top Cancer Center

The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center received the top ranking among cancer centers in the latest U.S. News & World Report survey of "America's Best Hospitals."

"We are very proud of this distinction as it affirms the dedication and commitment of M. D. Anderson faculty, staff, volunteers, patients and community partners, to the mission of eliminating cancer through patient care, research, education and prevention," says Dr. John Mendelsohn, M. D. Anderson's president.

"However, it is also a signal that we must continue this forward motion and build upon it so we can achieve even greater impact," he adds.

Six hospitals in the Texas Medical Center made the 11th annual rankings, published in the magazine's July 17th issue. The rankings are designed to offer a guide for people who may be in need of a hospital with expertise in a particular field. This year's guide ranked hospitals in 17 areas of specialty, adding kidney disease to the list.

To be considered in the survey, hospitals must meet one of three criteria: membership in the Council of Teaching Hospitals, affiliation with a medical school, or have no less than nine out of 17 key technologies in their facility. When these criteria were applied, 1,701 out of 6,247 U.S. hospitals met the requirements.

Eligible centers in 13 specialty areas were evaluated on their reputation among board-certified specialists, their mortality ratio and other factors like technology services and the number of registered nurses to beds. Rankings for four categories - eyes, pediatrics, psychiatry and rehabilitation - were based on reputation alone.

In addition to the number one ranking in the cancer category, M. D. Anderson also received mention in four other areas, ranking 6th in gynecology, 12th in the urology and the ear, nose and throat categories and 41st in digestive disorders.

Other Texas Medical Center institutions ranked as follows:

• Memorial Hermann Hospital: 28th in hormonal disorders and 32nd in kidney disease

  "We are excited to receive the honor of being recognized by U.S. News & World Report. It is a testament to the fine work of our physicians and staff that these rankings were awarded," says Jim Springfield, chief operating officer, Memorial Hermann Hospital.

• The Methodist Hospital: 13th in urology; 15th in neurology and neurosurgery and 15th in ear, nose and throat. The Baylor College of Medicine's Cullen Eye Institute ranked 15th in the eye category.

  "I am very proud that Methodist once again has been recognized as one of the best hospitals in the nation. It is quite an accomplishment to be ranked in so many different specialties and it reinforces our commitment to offer the highest quality of care to our patients," says Peter Butler, president and CEO, Methodist Health Care System.

• Texas Children's Hospital: 8th in pediatrics, up from number 11 last year

  "We are very pleased that pediatricians from across the country surveyed by U.S. News & World Report have recognized something that Texans have been aware of for many years, which is that Texas Children's and its physicians and staff are among the very best in the United States," says Dr. Ralph D. Feigin, physician-in-chief of Texas Children's Hospital."

  "It's always an honor to be named among the best by your peers," says Mark A. Wallace, president and CEO of Texas Children's Hospital. "Over the next year, as Texas Children's completes the largest expansion in the history of the Texas Medical Center, the hospital will raise its profile even higher nationally and internationally."

• Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital: 7th among heart centers

  "We are very pleased to have been ranked in the top 10 every year for the last decade," says Dr. Denton A. Cooley, founder, president and surgeon-in-chief of the Texas Heart Institute and chief of cardiovascular surgery at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital. "Not only is it a fitting testimony to the work of our physicians, research scientists and educators, but also, it recognizes the success of our ongoing collaboration with our clinical partner, St. Luke's."

  "It is an honor to be once again recognized as the top heart center in the Southwest," says Michael K. Jhin, president and CEO of St. Luke's Episcopal Health System. "It illustrates what an outstanding group of physicians and staff we have and the importance of our partnership with the Texas Heart Institute."

• TIRR (The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research): 3rd in rehabilitation and 29th in rheumatology

"Our placement on this list each year is a tribute to the innovative, collaborative, world-class care of our physicians, therapists, nurses, technicians, researchers and all our support staff at TIRR," says E. Ashley Smith, president, TIRR Systems. "It reflects the results we are achieving with the catastrophically injured TIRR cares for and is recognized for, as well as those patients we see whose injuries are less severe but no less important. I am proud of the accomplishments of our patients, and the outstanding performance Louisa Adelung has displayed as the hospital's leader."

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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