Shands Hospital for Children ranked among nation’s best in new U.S. News listing

Shands Hospital for Children recognized by U.S. News Media Group in six medical specialties

Shands Hospital for Children at the University of Florida has been recognized among the nation’s best in six medical specialties in the 2011-12 U.S. News Media Group’s Best Children’s Hospitals rankings released today.

Two of the interdisciplinary UF and Shands pediatric programs were ranked highest in the state – diabetes and endocrinology (14th nationally) and gastroenterology (38th nationally). Shands Hospital for Children also ranked 33rd in nephrology, 38th in gastroenterology, 39th in pulmonology, and 47th in neurology and neurosurgery, and tied for 49th in cardiology and heart surgery. Last year, Shands ranked for the first time in one specialty, diabetes and endocrinology.

“We are delighted and honored that this prestigious and rigorous process has ranked several of our programs so highly,” said Richard Bucciarelli, M.D., UF College of Medicine pediatrics chairman. “It is the great team of clinical caregivers and researchers at UF and Shands that allowed us to be recognized with many of the larger and longer-established programs for children in the nation.

“It remains our goal to continue to provide the safest and highest quality of services to all our patients and their families,” Bucciarelli said. “These rankings make us even more dedicated to improve and gain recognition for additional programs which we believe are also worthy of this designation.”

The new rankings recognize the top 50 children’s hospitals in 10 specialties: cancer; cardiology and heart surgery; diabetes and endocrinology; gastroenterology; neonatology; nephrology; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; pulmonology; and urology. Seventy-six hospitals are ranked in at least one specialty.

“Our entire team of physicians, nurses and support personnel cares deeply about the young patients we serve throughout Florida and the region,” said Janet Silverstein, M.D., UF College of Medicine chief of pediatric endocrinology. “We are devoted to doing all we can to ensure the greatest quality of life for our patients and their families, and I am so proud to be a part of this wonderful team.”

Now in its fifth year, Best Children’s Hospitals pulls together clinical and operational data from a lengthy survey, completed by the majority of the 177 hospitals asked to participate for the 2011-12 rankings. The survey asks hundreds of questions about survival rates, nurse staffing, subspecialist availability, and many more pieces of critical information. The data from the survey are combined with recommendations from pediatric specialists on the hospitals they consider best for children with challenging problems.

For the full rankings and methodology, visit www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals.

For more information, visit:

http://www.peds.ufl.edu/divisions/gastro/

http://www.peds.ufl.edu/divisions/nephrology/index.asp

http://neurology.peds.ufl.edu/

http://www.peds.ufl.edu/divisions/pulmonary/

http://diabetes.ufl.edu/patient-care/pediatrics/

http://www.peds.ufl.edu/chc/