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Texas Medical Center Hospitals Recognized Again
by KRISTINA VAN ARSDEL
Texas Medical Center News
Six Texas Medical Center institutions were again cited in U.S. News & World Report's annual "America's Best Hospitals" rankings.
The rankings, published since 1990, are a guide for consumers who seek the best diagnosis or treatment available in any of 16 areas of specialty. To be eligible for ranking, the facility must meet one of three criteria: affiliation with a medical school, membership in the Council of Teaching Hospitals, or have no less than nine out of 17 key technologies readily available.
The ranking had one major change this year. The lists in 12 of the 16 specialty categories were extended to include 50 hospitals from 42, bringing the number of hospitals ranked to 188. (There are a total of 6,299 hospitals in the United States.) The hospitals in these 12 specialties received scores based on the sum of three components rated equally - reputation, mortality rate, and a set of other medical information that included available technology and the ratio of R.N.'s to beds. Reputation was the sole factor for consideration when ranking hospitals in the remaining four specialties - eyes, pediatrics, psychiatry and rehabilitation. Every year, 150 board-certified specialists are surveyed in each of the 16 categories - a total of 2,400 physicians. They are chosen at random and asked to name the top five facilities in their specialty. This year's reputational score is a compilation of their responses in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
Six hospitals in the Texas Medical Center received rankings as follows:
- Hermann Hospital: 47th in orthopedics and 29th in rheumatology.
- The Methodist Hospital: 20th in geriatrics, 26th in gynecology, 15th in neurology, 38th in orthopedics, 14th in otolaryngology, 46th in rheumatology and 14th in urology. Baylor College of Medicine's Cullen Eye Institute, located at The Methodist Hospital, received a ranking of 15th in the category of eyes.
"This year we were ranked in eight of 16 categories, representing the greatest number of specialties The Methodist Hospital has been recognized for since the list was first published in 1990, says Peter Butler, president and chief executive officer, Methodist Health Care System. "We are proud to be recognized as one of the best and believe the rankings are synonymous with the high-level of quality patient care we provide."
- Texas Children's Hospital: 11th in pediatrics.
"Being ranked as one of the best hospitals in America is a validation of our commitment to excellence," says Mark A. Wallace, president and CEO of Texas Children's. "Our physicians, nurses and support staff are committed to providing the highest quality health care and education and leading the way in the field of medical research. This ranking is a tribute to their dedication and hard work."
"We are proud to be recognized by our peers as one of the country's leading pediatric hospitals," says Dr. Ralph D. Feigin, physician-in-chief at Texas Children's and president and CEO of Baylor College of Medicine. "Achieving this outstanding ranking is a testament to the high standards we set in caring for patients who come from around the world to access our expertise."
- Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital: 7th in cardiology.
"It is a pleasure to be recognized so consistently as a top cardiovascular facility," says Dr. Denton A. Cooley, founder, president and surgeon-in-chief of the Texas Heart Institute. "This repeated acknowledgment is a testimony to the remarkable efforts of our cardiovascular physicians as well as the ongoing collaboration between our clinical partner, St. Luke's, and our institution. As our facilities grow in the upcoming years, we plan to prolong and expand the high-quality research and education programs that enable us to further combat the devastating effects of cardiovascular disease."
"St. Luke's and the Texas Heart Institute are delighted that we have once again been honored with this distinguished recognition," says Michael K. Jhin, president and CEO of St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital. "It is a tribute to the outstanding group of physicians and staff who make possible the excellence of care which has become the trademark known to our patients worldwide. We are particularly proud that for nine consecutive years we have been ranked the top cardiovascular center in the Southwest."
- TIRR (The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research): 3rd in the category of rehabilitation.
"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."
- The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center: 2nd in cancer and in gynecology, 11th in otolaryngology and 13th in urology.
"This is an exciting time for the entire M. D. Anderson family. With the opening of the Albert B. and Margaret M. Alkek Hospital this year, we have completed a three-building expansion program to support our efforts in research and patient care," says Dr. John Mendelsohn, M. D. Anderson president. "And we've just registered our 400,000th patient, which illustrates the incredible magnitude of the cancer problem and the urgency of our efforts to advance research and improve our efforts to treat and prevent cancer."
The rankings were published in the July 19, 1999, U.S. News & World Report edition. When the rankings were released, U.S. News noted that any institution listed among the 50 hospitals in each of the 16 specialties should be considered a leading facility; however, the rankings do not imply that other hospitals are not providing quality health care.
©2006 Texas Medical Center
E-Mail: tmc-info@tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/08_01_99/page_02.html
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