University Times

UPMC again has received national recognition for its clinical programs, coming in No. 13 in the U.S. News & World Report magazine’s annual “America’s Best Hospitals” ranking. The 2007 results place UPMC one notch higher than last year and mark its eighth appearance on the honor roll, which includes only 18 hospitals nationwide.

In addition, UPMC is ranked nationally in 14 of the 16 medical specialties surveyed and is the only local hospital to receive recognition in any category.

Out of 5,462 hospitals in the nation that were eligible, less than 1 percent, or 18 hospitals, made the honor roll, and only 173 were ranked in one or more specialties.

Hospitals earned honor roll status by listing at or near the top in at least six specialties — “a demonstration of broad expertise,” according to the magazine.

The specialty rankings for UPMC were:

• 3rd in ear, nose and throat;

• 8th in geriatrics;

• 10th in rheumatology;

• 11th in psychiatry;

• 12th in cancer, gynecology (Magee-Womens Hospital), neurology and neurosurgery, and orthopaedics;

• 14th in kidney disease;

• 16th in respiratory disorders;

• 18th in rehabilitation, and

• 27th in digestive disorders, endocrinology and urology.

The 2007 America’s Best Hospitals rankings were published in the July 25 edition of U.S. News. Rankings also appear online at http://www.USNews.com/.

The mission of America’s Best Hospitals rankings, according to the magazine, is to “identify centers that take on and excel at tough procedures and conditions. That is why most of the institutions ranked are referral centers, where the sickest patients are sent for advanced care. Such hospitals follow — and often pioneer — new treatment guidelines. They conduct bench-to-bedside research. And they exploit the latest advances in imaging, surgical devices and other technologies.”