The Johns Hopkins Hospital Tops U.S. News & World Report “Honor Roll” For The 16th Year In A Row

Make that 16 in a row.

July 7, 2006. The Johns Hopkins Hospital has again earned the top spot as “Best of the Best” in U.S. News & World Report’s annual Honor Roll of American hospitals, placing first in five of 16 ranked medical specialties and in the top four in 10 others. Only 14 hospitals nationwide made it to the Honor Roll this year out of 5,189 institutions graded.

“Once again, the magazine and medical professionals across the nation have affirmed the excellence of our faculty physicians, our nurses and our staff,” said in a joint letter announcing the good news from Edward D. Miller, M.D., dean and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Ronald R. Peterson, president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System. “We say it each year and we mean it: This recognition is a tribute to them and to the community physicians whose contributions to Johns Hopkins Medicine are significant.”

“Let us also be among the first to congratulate our sister institutions high on the list and say how proud we are to be among the best of the best,” the joint statement said.

This year’s annual guide, whose top hospitals follow and generally pioneer new treatment protocols, reported results of a survey of a hospital’s reputation in 16 specialties among a national sample of specialists, along with a hard-data analysis of objective indicators such as death rates, use of new technology, nurse staffing, service mix and discharge planning in 11 of the specialties.

“The 14 hospitals on the Honor Roll demonstrate exceptional breadth of excellence,” the magazine noted.

In addition to landing at the overall #1 spot on the Honor Roll, the Hospital ranked #1 in Ear, Nose and Throat, Gynecology, Kidney Disease, Urology and Rheumatology. It ranked #2 in Neurology/Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology and Psychiatry; #3 in Cancer, Digestive Disorders, Endocrinology (hormonal disorders), Heart/Heart Surgery, Respiratory Disorders and Pediatrics; and #4 in Orthopedics. Rehabilitation medicine ranked just outside the Honor Roll at #17. For a detailed list of all rankings, go to www.hopkinsmedicine.org or to the U.S. News and World Report Web site at www.usnews.com.

In congratulating all employees, Miller and Peterson reminded everyone in the Hopkins community that the recognition is “as always a tribute to the Hospital, its dedicated nurses and staff, the School of Medicine’s faculty physicians and the community physicians whose contributions are significant.”

They also noted the efforts under way by all employees, donors and alumni to rebuild, renew, enrich and expand Hopkins’ services and facilities and to assure its continued commitment to safety and excellence. “As we move forward with reconstruction of our hospital, we especially appreciate the magazine’s recognition of your commitment, but most of all we appreciate all of you,” they said. “We can’t say it too often: The rankings are a worthy acknowledgment of the innovative and compassionate patient care that is Hopkins’s hallmark - and of the people who make that kind of care possible.”

Miller and Peterson said independent evaluations are of growing value to patients, the public, referring physicians and insurers.

Acknowledging the impressive record of winning 16 years in a row, Miller and Peterson again authorized the “Employee Thank You” celebration that has marked each year’s announcements.

Rounding out the Honor Roll, in rank order, are Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, UCLA Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, Duke University, Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, University of California San Francisco Medical Center, University of Washington Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, University of Michigan Hospitals and Health System, Stanford Hospital and Clinics, and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Contact Information

Gary Stephenson

Media Relations and Public Affairs

Johns Hopkins Medicine

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