SALT LAKE CITY—U.S. News & World Report has released its 2016-2017 Best Hospital Rankings and named University of Utah's Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) one of the top 50 cancer hospitals in the country.
"We are extremely pleased to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation's top cancer hospitals," said Mary Beckerle, CEO and director of HCI. "Cancer touches the lives of everyone, and this recognition reflects our efforts to relieve the burden of this disease on our patients and their families through excellent patient care and robust scientific research. We are motivated by the idea that it is possible to defeat cancer."
University of Utah Hospital was ranked No. 1 in Utah and in the Salt Lake City metro area.
"These latest results confirm the years of top rankings the University of Utah has received in quality and patient satisfaction in the nation. I am so proud of our physicians and staff," said Vivian Lee, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., CEO of University of Utah Health Care. "Serving Utah and the Mountain West by delivering the most compassionate care, built on the most cutting-edge science while training the next generation of providers is why we are here. As the only medical school in Utah, our students and residents are fortunate to train in one of the best hospitals in the nation."
Additionally, University of Utah Health Care (UUHC) was recognized as "high-performing" in geriatrics, ophthalmology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, urology, heart failure, colon cancer surgery, COPD and lung cancer surgery.
"Our specialists and primary care providers are among the best in the state," said Dr. Lee. "The programs we are building to serve patients in Utah across their lifetimes, ensure that our community is as healthy as it can be."
Approximately 5,000 hospitals in 94 U.S. metro areas were eligible for this year's rankings. To meet the criteria hospitals must offer each of 16 medical specialties, and then are ranked according to death rates, patient safety rates, procedure volume, and other objective data. The rankings for all hospitals and specialties are available at www.usnews.com/besthospitals.
UUHC has 660 hospital beds, more than 1,300 staffed physicians and 11 community clinics across the Wasatch Front. In the last year, University Hospital has admitted 28,000 patients, provided more than 10,000 inpatient surgeries and 15,000 outpatient surgeries, and logged over 40,000 Emergency Department visits.
HCI and the University of Utah Health Sciences steward the Utah Population Database — the largest genetic database in the world, with more than 16 million records linked to genealogies, health records, and vital statistics. Using this data, HCI and University researchers have identified several cancer-causing genes, including the genes responsible for melanoma, colon and breast cancer, and paraganglioma. HCI is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (a 27-member alliance of the world's leading cancer centers) and is a National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. HCI treats patients with all forms of cancer and operates several high-risk clinics that focus on melanoma and breast, colon, and pancreas cancers. The HCI Cancer Learning Center for patient and public education contains one of the nation's largest collections of cancer-related publications. The institute is named after Jon M. Huntsman, a Utah philanthropist, industrialist, and cancer survivor.