UW Medical Center ranks 12th in U.S. News & World Report survey

By Pam Sowers
HS News& Community Relations

UW Medical Center moved up a notch in its ranking among the top hospitals in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2001 annual guide to “America’s Best Hospitals,” which was updated in its July 23 issue, available this week.

UW Medical Center was ranked 12th in the nation among the 1,878 major medical centers (including approximately 300 teaching hospitals) considered in this year’s survey. It is the only hospital west of Rochester, Minn., and north of San Francisco to achieve an honor roll ranking. Last year, UWMC was ranked 13th.

In specialty rankings, UW Medical Center ranked among the top 10 hospitals nationwide in rehabilitation (3rd) and orthopaedics (10th). It received rankings in the top 20 in several additional specialties: respiratory disorders (11th); geriatrics (12th); cancer (12th); hormone disorders (13th); ear, nose and throat (14th); and kidney disease (19th).

Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, which is closely affiliated with the UW School of Medicine, ranked 18th in pediatrics.

Harborview Medical Center, which is owned by King County and operated by the University of Washington, ranked seventh in orthopaedics.

“We are gratified to have University of Washington Medical Center again honored as one of the best hospitals in the nation,” said Kathleen Sellick, UWMC executive director. “This further recognizes our commitment to high quality patient care at UWMC. The rankings for Harborview Medical Center and Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center demonstrate the same dedication to excellence.”

“All of us at UWMC are dedicated to our mission to care for patients, our vision as the leading health-care provider in the region and our core values of accountability, respect, innovation, service and excellence,” said Dr. Eric Larson, UWMC medical director. “To be ranked again as one of America’s outstanding hospitals is a validation of those principles.”

For 13 of the 17 specialties ranked, U.S. News, in conjunction with the National Opinion Research Center, evaluated hospitals using a mathematical model combining reputation among board-certified specialists, death rate statistics, and other medical data such as the various medical technologies available.

In the other four specialties - ophthalmology, pediatrics, psychiatry and rehabilitation - rankings were based on a reputational survey of physicians.

Besides UW Medical Center, U.S. News’ Honor Roll of the nation’s best hospitals includes Johns Hopkins Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, UCLA Medical Center, Duke University Medical Center, Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, University of Michigan Medical Center, University of California San Francisco Medical Center, Stanford University Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago Hospitals, and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

For more information on the hospital rankings, go to http://www.usnews.com