The Johns Hopkins Gazette: July 20, 1998
July 20, 1998
VOL. 27, NO. 40

  

Hospital Again Ranked No. 1 By U.S. News & World Report

JHMI Office of
Communication and Public Affairs
Johns Hopkins Gazette Online Edition

For the eighth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking of American hospitals has placed The Johns Hopkins Hospital at the top of the list.

The magazine's ninth annual guide to America's best hospitals, dated July 27 and on newsstands today, reports results of a survey of a hospital's reputation in 16 medical specialties among a national sample of physicians, along with analysis of objective indicators derived from government data on death rates, technology, staffing, facilities and discharge planning.

Conducted by the magazine in conjunction with reputable outside organizations, the analysis and survey have been modified every year to refine the categories and invest them with more reliable criteria.

"All of the medical centers in the magazine's top 10 honor roll are superb, and we are indeed privileged to be in their company," said Johns Hopkins Medicine CEO/Dean Edward D. Miller and Johns Hopkins Hospital President Ronald R. Peterson in a joint statement. "In an era when any hospital can hire an ad agency and declare itself excellent, independent published rankings are of some real value to the public, primary care physicians and insurers.

"Of course," they added, "we're delighted at this tribute to our hospital, its incredibly fine staff, the School of Medicine's faculty physicians and the many community physicians with whom we have close ties. The overarching value of such recognition is that it reminds us that our primary job is making sure, year after year, that the highest quality care is given to our patients."

Faculty physicians and senior administrators greeted all shifts of employees Friday morning, when the news became public, to thank them and present a keepsake gift.

"All of our doctors, nurses and staff come to Hopkins every day to help the sick, advance knowledge and increase people's access to the highest quality medical care. This was a grand opportunity to thank our employees for all that they do," said Miller and Peterson in their joint statement.

Hopkins Hospital has been ranked No. 1 by the magazine since 1991. In 1990, when the annual rankings began, Hopkins was No. 2. To make the honor roll, a hospital must rank high in at least six of the 16 specialty categories listed; this year Hopkins ranked in the top 10 in 15 specialties. Extra points were awarded for ranking two or more standard deviations above the mean.

In addition to landing at the top of the overall rankings, the hospital ranked first in otolaryngology, urology and gynecology; second in rheumatology and ophthalmology; third in gastroenterology, neurology/neurosurgery, endocrinology, cancer, geriatrics and pediatrics; fourth in orthopedics, psychiatry and pulmonary medicine; eighth in cardiology and 17th in rehabilitation medicine. For the first time in several years, the magazine did not rank AIDS treatment.

Rounding out the honor roll behind Hopkins, in rank order, were Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, Duke University Medical Center, UCLA Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic, Stanford University Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, (tie) University of Chicago Hospitals and University of Michigan Medical Center, and University of Washington Medical Center.


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