University Times

Eleven UPMC Health System specialty areas were listed among the best in the country by U.S. News and World Report's ninth annual rankings. The magazine ranks specialty areas using three criteria: reputation with board-certified specialists as measured in a survey of 150 in each specialty area; predicted mortality rates; and a variety of medical information, such as nurse/bed ratio, technology index, and rate of discharges.

UPMC Health System ranked fifth in otolaryngology, 11th in gastroenterology, 13th in orthopedics, 13th in rheumatology, 15th in pulmonary medicine, 19th in cancer, 20th in endocrinology, 22nd in geriatrics, 23rd in neurology, 39th in cardiology and 39th in urology.

"This ranking is one more measure of the excellence of medical care provided by UPMC Health System," said Loren Roth, the health system's senior vice president of medical services. "We are pleased that these nationally ranked specialty programs are now available to more people than ever before through our network of community hospitals located throughout western Pennsylvania."