Shands at the University of Florida has been named among America’s most elite medical centers, receiving a top-50 ranking in 11 specialties — the most of any hospital in Florida — according to the 2008 list of the nation’s leading health-care institutions compiled by U.S. News & World Report in its July 11 “Best Hospitals” issue.

Nearly 5,500 hospitals and medical centers vied for spots on the annual list, but only 170 made the cut, elevating Shands at UF — the primary teaching hospital for UF College of Medicine faculty — as a premier place for patients to receive medical care in Florida.

In most specialties, hospitals are judged through rigorous statistical analyses of how they handled complex cases. Factors such as physicians’ reputations within their specialties, mortality rates and care-related factors including nurse staffing and technology helped to determine the final rankings.

Shands at UF had the highest ranking of all Florida hospitals in five specialties, ranking No. 23 in the nation in respiratory medicine, No. 24 in heart and heart surgery, No. 26 in both geriatrics and urology and No. 34 in endocrinology.

“This U.S. News recognition is a tribute to our UF and Shands faculty and staff who work around the clock every day to make sure our patients receive highest-quality, cutting-edge compassionate care,” said Michael L. Good, M.D., interim dean of the College of Medicine.

Shands at UF was also ranked in the top 50 in six other specialties including gynecology, orthopedics, kidney disease, neurology, cancer, and ear, nose and throat.

To read more about the rankings, visit U.S. News’ “Best Hospitals” Web site at: http://health.usnews.com/sections/health/best-hospitals/index.html