June 11, 2013 — OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital has been ranked one of the best children's hospitals in the United States in eight of 10 pediatric specialties, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2013-14 Best Children's Hospitals. This year, OHSU Doernbecher improved its standing in seven of its eight ranked specialties.
OHSU Doernbecher has consistently ranked among the best since it first applied for rankings consideration in 2010-11. It is the only medical center in Oregon whose pediatric specialties met U.S. News & World Report's criteria for quality of care, best practices and outcomes.
For 2013-14, U.S. News ranks OHSU Doernbecher:
- 19th in Cancer: up from 28th in 2012-13.
- 42nd in Cardiology & Heart Surgery: up from 50th in 2012-13.
- 30th in Diabetes & Endocrinology: up from 44th in 2012-13.
- 28th in Nephrology: not ranked in 2012-13; ranked 49th in 2011-12.
- 40th in Neurology & Neurosurgery: up from 46th in 2012-13.
- 49th in Orthopedics: down from 45th in 2012-13.
- 50th in Pulmonology: not ranked in 2012-13; ranked 45th in 2011-12.
- 26th in Urology: up from 32nd in 2011-12; not ranked in 2012-13.
To be considered for the pediatric rankings, children's hospitals were required to provide extensive medical data about their services, capabilities and outcomes. Seventy-five percent of each hospital's score was based on an analysis of clinical and operational data, including:
- Level and quality of care (staffing, technology, special services)
- Health care delivery (infection-control programs, adherence to best practices)
- Clinical outcomes (patient survival, infection rates, complications)
Reputation comprises 25 percent of a hospital's score.
To gather data, U.S. News used two surveys: a clinical questionnaire sent to 179 pediatric hospitals and a reputational survey of 150 pediatric specialists and subspecialists in each specialty. The 1,500 physicians surveyed were asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty, regardless of location and expense.
"The national rankings are a testament to the exceptional dedication and world-class expertise our health care team brings to children at OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital each and every day," said Stacy Nicholson, M.D., M.P.H., physician-in-chief, OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital; and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, OHSU School of Medicine. "We are committed to providing the very best care and support to the children of Oregon and Southwest Washington in a family-centered environment."
U.S. News introduced the Best Children's Hospitals rankings in 2007 to help families of sick children find the best medical care available. The rankings offer families an exclusive look at quality-related information at the individual hospital level. According to U.S. Newseditor, Avery Comarow: "Ranking shows the dedication and expertise that OHSU Doernbecher brings to the care of children who need those qualities the most."
Survival rates, adequacy of nurse staffing, procedure volume and more can be viewedhere, and will be published in the U.S. News Best Hospitals 2014 guidebook in August.
