Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Best Hospitals

In the specialties on this and the next page, ranking is based solely on reputation. Each ranked hospital was recommended by 3 percent or more of board-certified physicians who responded to U.S. News surveys in 2003, 2004, and 2005.

Chart Legend:
A - Rank
B - Hospital
C - Reputation (pct.)

A B
C

1 Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miami -
South 76.8

2 Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore -
South 74.4

3 Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia -
Northeast 63.1

4 Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston -
Northeast 41.3

5 Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles -
West 34.7

6 University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City -
Midwest 21.9

7 Doheny Eye Institute, USC University Hospital, Los Angeles -
West 17.6

8 Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. -
South 14.3

9 New York-Presbyterian Univ. Hosp. of Columbia and Cornell -
Northeast 7.7

10 University of California, San Francisco Medical Center -
West 7.6

11 Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis -
Midwest 7.2

12 New York Eye and Ear Infirmary -
Northeast 7.1

13 Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. -
Midwest 6.5

14 Cullen Eye Institute, Methodist Hospital, Houston -
South 6.0

15 Cleveland Clinic
Midwest 5.7

16 University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor -
Midwest 5.6

17 Emory University Hospital, Atlanta -
South 3.4

18 Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital, New York -
Northeast 3.3

Note: Rounding may produce apparent ties.

Glossary
Regions

Northeast: Conn., Maine, Mass., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Pa., R.I., Vt.

South: Ala., Ark., D.C., Del., Fla., Ga., Ky., La., Md., Miss., N.C., Okla., S.C., Tenn., Texas, Va., W.Va.

Midwest: Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kan., Mich., Minn., Mo., N.D., Neb., Ohio, S.D., Wis.

West: Alaska, Ariz., Calif., Colo., Hawaii, Idaho, Mont., Nev., N.M., Ore., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

U.S. News Score
Summarizes quality of inpatient care. Reputation and mortality each make up one third of the score. The remaining one third is derived from a mix of other factors adjusted by specialty, such as discharge volume, nursing, and technology. The top hospital in a specialty is scored at 100. In Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Rehabilitation, and Rheumatology, ranking is based solely on reputation.

Reputation (pct.)
Percentage of responding board-certified physicians surveyed by U.S. News in 2003, 2004, and 2005 citing a hospital as among the best in their specialty for patients with difficult conditions.

Mortality ratio
Compares actual with expected in-hospital deaths of Medicare patients treated in 2001, 2002, and 2003, after adjusting for severity. A ratio of 1.00 means the rates of actual and expected deaths are the same. Above 1.00 is worse than expected; below 1.00 is better. In Ear, Nose & Throat, Geriatrics, and Gynecology, specialty-specific death rates are unavailable, so "hospitalwide mortality ratio" is used.

Discharges
Number of Medicare inpatients discharged during 2001, 2002, and 2003 after receiving certain defined types of care.

Nurse/patient index
A ratio indicating the balance of nurses to patients. Higher is better. Nurses must be R.N.'s and on staff, not pro-vided by agencies or other outside sources. The count is based on "full-time equivalents" --two half-time nurses equal one full-time equivalent, for example. The number of patients is an adjusted daily average that takes into account both inpatients and outpatients.

Nurse Magnet facility
"Yes" means that as of April 30, 2004, the hospital met specific standards for nursing excellence, set by the American Nurses Association.

Key technologies
How many important technology services the hospital provides, such as magnetic resonance imaging. The maximum number varies by specialty from 3 to 9. Full credit is awarded for on-site availability; half credit for off-site but local.

Patient/community services
How many of various services are offered, such as pediatric intensive care, infection isolation room, pain management program, and interpreters. The maximum number varies by specialty.

Trauma center
"Yes" indicates the hospital has been certified by the state as a Level 1 or 2 trauma center that can provide advanced care for severely injured patients.

NCI cancer center
"Yes" means the hospital is designated a "clinical" or "comprehensive" cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, indicating an advanced mix of research and clinical care.

Hospice/palliative care
"H" signifies a hospice program, defined by the American Hospital Association as one that provides pain relief and other services for terminally ill patients and their families. "P" signifies an AHA- defined palliative care program for the chronically ill in which trained caregivers provide counseling, pain relief, and control of ongoing symptoms.

Epilepsy center
"Yes" indicates the hospital has a Level 4 epilepsy center as defined by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers.

Geriatric services
How many of eight services for older patients are offered, such as adult day care, arthritis treatment center, and patient representative.

Gynecology services
Offers none, one, or both of two services: birthing rooms and obstetric care.

Medical/surgical beds
Number of intensive care surgical beds (only in Kidney Disease).

U.S. News & World Report, L.P.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home