Nationwide Children’s Hospital has made U.S. News & World Report’s Honor Roll list of the 2012-13 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. Ranking seventh on this prestigious list, Nationwide Children’s is one of only 12 children’s hospitals nationwide to earn this “best of the best” national distinction. High rankings in a minimum of three specialties qualified Nationwide Children’s for the 2012-13 Best Children’s Hospital Honor Roll. This is the seventh straight year that Nationwide Children’s has been recognized on this well-known national list.
In addition to the Honor Roll distinction, Nationwide Children’s has once again ranked in all 10 specialties, including five specialties ranked in the top 10. Nationwide Children’s rankings include:
#5 in Cardiology and Heart Surgery
#5 in Gastroenterology
#6 in Pulmonary
#9 in Nephrology
#10 in Neurology and Neurosurgery
#11 in Urology
#12 in Diabetes and Endocrinology
#13 in Neonatology
#23 in Cancer
#36 in Orthopedics
The rankings feature 50 hospitals in each of 10 pediatric specialties. Eighty hospitals across the country ranked in one or more specialties.
“Nationwide Children’s Hospital deserves high praise for its accomplishments,” said Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. “Its dedication and expertise reach across multiple specialties, as shown by its Honor Roll listing. Our goal at U.S. News is to identify and call attention to pediatric centers like Nationwide Children’s that help the sickest kids.”
For families of sick children, Best Children’s Hospitals provides unparalleled quality-related information in addition to rankings, including survival rates, adequacy of nurse staffing, procedure volume, and much more. Since their 2007 debut, the rankings have put an increasing emphasis on data that directly reflect hospitals’ performance over the opinions of physicians.
This year, U.S. News surveyed 178 pediatric centers to obtain hard data such as availability of key resources and ability to prevent complications and infections. The hospital survey made up 75 percent of the rankings. A separate reputational survey in which 1,500 pediatric specialists—150 in each specialty—were asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty made up the remaining 25 percent.
The timing for this national recognition is most appropriate as the hospital prepares to dedicate their expanded campus this weekend. The expansion will add 2.1 million square feet of clinical and research space to existing facilities and is the largest pediatric expansion of its kind in US History.
“This significant external validation is a tribute to the quality and dedication of our talented staff that provide world-class care to our patients and families every day,” said Steve Allen, MD, Nationwide Children’s CEO. “They are at the heart of our continued success and exemplify excellence at every level.”
“This is an incredibly proud day for everyone associated with Nationwide Children’s Hospital,” said Abigail Wexner, board chair of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “We made a promise to the families of Central Ohio nearly a decade ago- to become one of the very best children’s hospitals in the country and to provide the finest healthcare available anywhere, right here at home. We will continue to deliver on this promise each and every day.”
The full rankings and methodology are available at www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals. The rankings will also be published in the U.S. News Best Hospitals 2013 guidebook, which will be available in August.