Washington, D.C. – June 9, 2015 - U.S. News & World Report has ranked Intermountain Healthcare's Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, in seven specialties in the new 2015-16 Best Children's Hospitals rankings. Each specialty is comprised of University of Utah physicians from its Department of Pediatrics.
Primary Children's is ranked in these specialties:
- Cancer (33rd)
- Cardiology and Heart Surgery (20th)
- Neonatology (45th)
- Nephrology (44th)
- Neurology and Neurosurgery (21st)
- Orthopedics (10th)
- Urology (31st)
The rankings highlight the top 50 U.S. pediatric facilities in cancer, cardiology & heart surgery, diabetes & endocrinology, gastroenterology & GI surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology & neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology. Based on a combination of clinical data and reputation surveys of pediatric specialists, 83 hospitals ranked in at least one specialty.
We are humbled and honored to once again be recognized by U.S. News & World Report," says Katy Welkie, CEO of Primary Children's. "It takes a strong team effort from physicians, nurses, and other staff members, and countless hours of hard work, to be among the best in the nation. These rankings reflect a continual dedication from our staff, a focus on patient care and safety, and a desire to live the philosophy ‘The Child First and Always.'
"These rankings acknowledge the extraordinary care provided by our physicians and staff, and a collaborative effort between Primary Children's Hospital and the University of Utah School of Medicine," says Ed Clark, M.D., Chair of the University of Utah Department of Pediatrics and Chief Medical Officer at Primary Children's. "To have seven departments recognized this year showcases our hard work in providing exceptional care for every child, our dedication to research, and desire to continue advancing in the field of medicine."
U.S. News introduced the Best Children's Hospitals rankings in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available. The rankings open the door to an array of detailed information about each hospital's performance.
Most of each hospital's score relies on patient outcomes and care-related resources. U.S. News gathered clinical data from a detailed questionnaire sent to 184 pediatric hospitals. One sixth of the score comes from annual surveys of pediatric specialists and subspecialists in each category in 2013, 2014 and 2015. They asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty, setting aside considerations of location and expense.
The remaining five-sixth of the score is determined by clinical outcomes, efficiency and coordination of the process of care delivery, compliance with "best practices" and steps to control infection and care-related resources such as adequate nursing staff and availability of programs tailored to particular illnesses and conditions.
"The pediatric centers that are ranked in Best Children's Hospitals deserve our congratulations," said U.S. News health rankings editor Avery Comarow. "Children with life-threatening or rare conditions need the kind of care that these hospitals deliver day after day."
Survival rates, adequacy of nurse staffing, procedure volume and much more can be viewed on http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/pediatric-rankings and will be published in the U.S. News "Best Hospitals 2016" guidebook, which will be available September 1.
For Information
Sandra Orton
Office: 801-662-6592 | Cell: 801-718-7560
sandra.orton@imail.org