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MILWAUKEE (5/20/2008) - Children's Hospital of Wisconsin has been ranked No. 30 in U.S.News & World Report's 2008 edition of America's Best Children's Hospitals, published online at www.usnews.com/pediatrics and in the magazine's June 9 issue, on newsstands Monday, June 2.
In a further extension of the 2007 pediatric rankings that listed the top 30 pediatric centers overall, the 2008 America's Best Children's Hospitals now includes the 30 top-ranked hospitals in cancer, digestive disorders, heart and heart surgery, neonatal care, neurology and neurosurgery, respiratory disorders and general pediatrics.
Two specialty programs, Gastroenterology and Herma Heart Center, ranked seventh on the specialty lists. In addition, Children's Hospital's Pulmonology, Neurosciences and Neonatology programs ranked No. 26, No. 28 and No. 30, respectively.
The specialty rankings of this year's America's Best Children's Hospitals were based on a new and improved methodology that weighted a three-part blend of reputation, outcome, and care-related measures such as nursing care, advanced technology, credentialing and other factors. A detailed description of the methodology can be found online at www.usnews.com/pediatrics.
"In the past, this survey was based solely on reputation," said Jon E. Vice, president and CEO, Children's Hospital and Health System. "For the past two years, the survey has used some measurable criteria for the care provided by children's hospitals, but it still has a great deal of weight on reputation. In the future, as they continue to develop more measurable criteria, I fully expect Children's Hospital will climb in the rankings."
"Very sick kids need very special care," said Senior Writer Avery Comarow, who has been editor of the America's Best Hospitals and America's Best Children's Hospitals annual rankings since their inception. "The best places for them are pediatric facilities with a deep pool of expertise in their particular illness. Breaking out key specialties is crucial to help parents and other caregivers find these facilities."
Ranking-eligible facilities were largely drawn from members of the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) in either of two categories—a freestanding children's hospital or a children's "hospital within a hospital" (a large, multidisciplinary pediatric service within a medical center). In addition, several non-NACHRI members were added because of known expertise or at the recommendation of experts. Of the 143 children's hospitals invited to complete a survey asking for information as detailed as whether a center offers postgraduate fellowships in pediatric cardiology, 113 responded. The survey was constructed by RTI International, which collects the data and oversees the methodology behind the adult Best Hospitals rankings.
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