U.S. News & World Report Ranks Emory Among Nation’s Top Hospitals

07 July 2006, Emory University Hospital has once again joined the prestigious ranks of America’s top medical institutions in the 17th annual U.S.News & World Report guide to “America’s Best Hospitals.”

Emory ranked among the nation’s best hospitals in eight specialties, including four top 20 rankings. Its eight specialties are more than any other hospital in Georgia, and no other hospital in the state shares rankings in the same categories as Emory. Overall, Emory is one of only 176 hospitals, out of more than 5,100 medical centers in the country, named in even one of the magazine’s top 50 specialty rankings.

Emory is recognized in this year’s comprehensive report for excellence in:

Heart and Heart Surgery (15)
Psychiatry (15)
Ophthalmology (16)
Neurology and Neurosurgery (18)
Kidney Disease (25)
Gynecology (33)
Ear, Nose and Throat (36)
Urology (45)

“What an incredible honor it is to be included among the nation’s best centers for comprehensive medicine and healing,” said John T. Fox, president and chief executive officer of Emory Healthcare. “To be recognized as one of America’s best hospitals across so many disciplines requires the dedication and excellence of the many physicians, nurses, medical support staff and employees throughout the entire Emory Healthcare system. We have chosen to embrace at Emory the very precious opportunity and responsibility of not only researching and cultivating new and cutting-edge ways of delivering medical care, but also in delivering that care at the bedside in a compassionate way.”

To be considered for this year’s rankings, a hospital had to satisfy at least one of three requirements: membership in the Council of Teaching Hospitals, medical school affiliation, or availability of at least 9 out of 18 key technology-related services such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET).

Reputation, mortality ratio, the measurement of a hospital’s ability to keep patients alive, and a group of other care-related factors, such as RN-to-bed ratios and patient/community services, are also considered. U.S. News looks at entire specialties rather than at specific procedures in an effort to identify hospitals that excel in a variety of tough cases across a specialty. According to the magazine, hospitals and medical centers make this elite group because their physicians see sicker patients and do greater numbers of tough procedures, they follow--often pioneer--advanced treatment guidelines, conduct bench-to-bedside research, and exploit advances in imaging, surgical devices, and other technologies.

According to Dr. Allan Levey, MD, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, top accolades like the No.18 ranking for Neurology and Neurosurgery, are indicative of a successful and growing program highlighting the collaboration between clinician, caregiver and administrator. As a regional and national destination center for neurological care, Emory University Hospital is currently building an $18 million, state-of-the-art, 43-bed neurointensive care unit, slated for completion in December 2006. Additionally, Emory recently was awarded Primary Stroke Center Certification by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Emory’s stroke care program demonstrated that it follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for patients. This designation means stroke patients receive the top quality in treatment and care.

“The U.S. News and World Report rankings reflect a tremendous growth of clinical neuroscience at Emory,” said Dr. Levey. “Further, the rankings recognize our outstanding programs for stroke, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other common brain diseases, which provide comprehensive and compassionate care for tens of thousands of patients annually based on innovative research.”

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Emory University

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