Michigan Medicine hospitals ranked No. 6 in the country by U.S. News & World Report

Ranked No. 1 in Michigan and No. 6 in the country, Michigan Medicine’s adult hospitals were recognized among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for 2017-2018.

The annual U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” rankings distinguish hospitals that excel in providing high-quality patient care and treating the most challenging health conditions.

“We are pleased that U.S. News & World Report recognizes the outstanding care we provide,” said Marschall Runge, M.D., Ph.D., about the ranking for Michigan Medicine, the academic medical center of the University of Michigan.

 “We appreciate that our values of caring, teamwork, integrity, innovation and excellence are reflected in this ranking as one of the top six hospitals in the nation,” said Runge, who is executive vice president for medical affairs at the University of Michigan, chief executive officer of Michigan Medicine and dean of the U-M Medical School.

Michigan Medicine has made a commitment to improve outcomes and patient care, which likely led to the improved rankings, said David Spahlinger, M.D., president of the University of Michigan Health System and executive vice dean for clinical affairs of the U-M Medical School.

“Our focus is on continually improving the care we provide,” Spahlinger said. “Having 15 specialty areas noted for excellence is evidence of the breadth of those efforts and recognition of the expertise of our staff and faculty.”

“These rankings validate what everyone here at Michigan Medicine does every day, providing excellent, innovative patient-focused care.”

This is the 25th consecutive year the hospitals and health centers of Michigan Medicine have been nationally recognized by U.S. News and World Report (USNWR) for strong across-the-board performance.

Nine U-M specialty areas rank in the top 10 in the country: Gynecology (#3), Otolaryngology (#6, 2-way-tie), Pulmonology (#6, 2-way-tie), Geriatrics (#7), Urology (#7), Neurology and Neurosurgery (#8), Ophthalmology (#8), Gastroenterology and GI surgery (#9), and Cardiology and heart surgery (#10).

U-M is recognized in 15 of 16 adult specialties. Also receiving impressive rankings: Cancer (#12, 3-way-tie), Rheumatology (#12), Nephrology (#13), Rehabilitation (#14), Diabetes and Endocrinology (#17) and Orthopedics (#28, 2-way-tie). Only 3 percent, or 152 hospitals out of approximately 4,500, earned even one ranked spot.

“It is an honor to be ranked among the best,” said Jeffrey Desmond, M.D., chief medical officer of Michigan Medicine.

“However, the credit goes to our employees, both on the front lines and behind the scenes, it is their compassion and hard work every day which creates the exceptional care we provide.”

“We have many strengths here at Michigan Medicine, but it is the people who work here, in every area, which bring those many strengths together to serve our patient’s needs. “

USNWR ranks hospitals on a number of factors including patient safety, clinical resources, quality of care, family centeredness and staff professionalism. Some specialty rankings are also based on hospital reputation, which is determined by surveying over 125,000 physicians across the country.

Two months ago U-M’s Michigan Medicine also received recognition by USNWR for its pediatric hospital – C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. Mott was ranked No. 1 in Michigan and was the only hospital in the state ranked in all 10 pediatric specialties. In spring 2017, USNWR also ranked the U-M Medical School 4th in the nation for training in family medicine, 5th in the nation for training primary care physicians, 6th for training internal medicine physicians, 8th in geriatrics training and 9th in women’s health training. The U-M Medical School also was 9th in the nation for research-based medical schools in its “Best Graduate Schools” ranking.

Nursing Quality

Earlier this year, University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers earned Magnet status designation.  Only 6 percent of U.S. hospitals receive this coveted honor, given to organizations that meet rigorous standards for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice.

 U-M nurses lead innovative quality improvement initiatives, train the next generation of nurses, and provide compassionate, patient-centered care to patients and their families.

“We are all very proud of the excellent work and dedication of our more than 5,000 nurses in caring for our patients and providing leadership in all of our important initiatives,” said Margaret Calarco, Ph.D., R.N., N.E.A.-B.C., chief nurse executive.

“Our nurses’ achievement in earning Magnet designation signifies their professionalism commitment to providing the finest care possible to the patients and families we serve. It also reflects our partnership with our University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council and the Michigan Nurses Association. USNWR also considers Magnet status in the rankings of best hospitals.”

To learn more about other University of Michigan clinical care honors, visit http://www.uofmhealth.org/about-umhs/best-hospitals

For detailed data about the safety and quality of care at U-M, far beyond what is available from rating agencies, visit www.uofmhealth.org and www.michiganmedicine.org (link is external). 

About Michigan Medicine

At Michigan Medicine, we create the future of healthcare through the discovery of new knowledge for the benefit of patients and society; educate the next generation of physicians, health professionals and scientists; and serve health needs throughout the state of Michigan and beyond. We pursue excellence every day in our three hospitals, 40 outpatient locations and home care operations that handle more than 2.1 million outpatient visits a year. The U-M Medical School is one of the nation’s biomedical research powerhouses, with total research funding of more than $470 million.

More information is available at www.michiganmedicine.org