UW Hospital ranks high in U.S. News survey
UW Hospital and Clinics ranks among the top three percent of the nation’s major medical centers in eleven medical specialties, according to this year’s edition of U.S. News and World Report‘s “America’s Best Hospitals” guide.
The guide offers an assessment of care in 17 specialties at 1,701 of the nation’s teaching hospitals. UW Hospital was ranked among the top three percent in the following categories:
- cancer
- digestive disorders
- heart care
- hormonal disorders
- kidney disease
- orthopedics
- respiratory disorders
- rheumatology
- urology
- eye care
- ear, nose and throat
This year’s rankings include the new categories of “respiratory disorders,” which includes care for asthma and other breathing problems, and kidney disease. UW ranked among the top three percent in both.
“Congratulations are due to our physicians, nurses and other staff who have made these high rankings possible,” said Donna Sollenberger, UW Hospital chief executive officer. “I am honored to have joined an organization of this quality.”
Sollenberger pointed out, however, that no individual ranking fully captures any institution’s overall quality of care. Because every methodology has its limitations, most experts agree that consistency over time through various methodologies is a more reliable indicator of quality of care.
Of the 6,299 hospitals in the United States, U.S. News analyzed care at 1701 major teaching institutions that are at the forefront of sophisticated care. Four categories – pediatrics, psychiatry, eye care and rehabilitation – are ranked based on a reputational score alone. The other 13 categories are assessed based on reputation, mortality rates and a mix of other data. The magazine listed the top 50 hospitals in 13 of the 17 categories and various numbers of hospitals in the four categories ranked only by reputation.
UW Hospital is a non-profit institution operated since 1996 by a public authority board. It is the only Dane County hospital and one of a handful of Wisconsin hospitals ranked by the magazine.