UW Hospital and Clinics among nation’s elite in eight specialties

UW Hospital and Clinics ranks among the top 50 of the nation’s 2,113 major teaching hospitals in eight specialties, according to the 2004 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” guide.

Of the 17 specialties, UW Hospital was ranked in the top 50 for hospital care in these eight areas: cancer; digestive diseases; ear, nose and throat; geriatrics; hormonal disorders; kidney disease; respiratory disorders; and urology.

“Certainly, we’re very pleased to be included once again in this national ranking,” notes UW Hospital president and CEO Donna Sollenberger. “At the same time, while it’s terrific to be recognized, the methodology used in this assessment is a less precise way to measure hospital quality than other measures that are available, so we don’t regard any one ranking as definitive.”

Of the 6,012 hospitals in the United States, U.S. News analyzed care at 2,113 major teaching institutions that are important referral centers recognized for advanced treatment and medical research. Five categories — pediatrics, psychiatry, ophthalmology, rheumatology and rehabilitation — are ranked based on a “reputational” score alone. The other 12 categories are assessed based on reputation, mortality rates and a mix of other data. The magazine listed the top 50 hospitals in 12 of the 17 categories and various numbers of hospitals in the categories ranked only by reputation.

UW Hospital and Clinics has been ranked in several medical specialties every year since the first U.S. News ranking in 1993. The hospital has received a number of national quality-recognition honors in the last several years.