Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota honored as 2013-2014 Best Children's Hospital

Children's Hospitals and Clinics of MinnesotaJun 11 2013

Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota has been honored by U.S. News & World Report as a 2013-2014 Best Children's Hospital. Children's has been ranked on the list every year since the program's inception in 2007.

For the sixth year in a row, Children's was ranked in neonatology. Children's has the largest high-risk neonatal referral center in the region, with some of the best outcomes in the country for these young and fragile patients. With the addition of The Mother Baby Center on its Minneapolis hospital campus earlier this year, Children's looks to continue to lead the region in this specialty for years to come. Children's neonatology has been on the list since U.S. News began ranking hospitals by specialty areas in 2008.

Children's was also ranked in cardiology & heart surgery, as it has been since 2011. Children's cardiovascular program is one of the largest in the region with some of the most impressive outcomes in the country. Children's is the only hospital in the five-state region to offer all pediatric cardiac services in one location.

Additionally, Children's was ranked in pulmonology for the third time overall, for the diagnosis, treatment and management it provides to kids with pulmonary disorders like cystic fibrosis, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, croup and other conditions. For children who struggle to control their respiration, sleep staging and esophageal pH recordings, Children's has the only diagnostic sleep lab in the Upper Midwest dedicated solely to the care of pediatric patients.

"Children's is honored to be recognized for the excellent care, expertise and dedication that our physicians, nurses and staff bring to patients and families every day," said Alan L. Goldbloom, MD, CEO of Children's of Minnesota. "Our consistent acknowledgment by U.S. News & World Report speaks to our leadership and that we continue to be the best place in the region for children to come for care."

The rankings highlight the top 50 U.S. hospitals in each of these pediatric specialties: cancer, cardiology & heart surgery, diabetes & endocrinology, gastroenterology & GI surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology & neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, and urology. Eighty-seven hospitals ranked in at least one of the 10 specialties.

"Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota deserves high praise," said Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. "Ranking shows the dedication and expertise that Children's of Minnesota brings to the care of children who need those qualities the most. We think it is important to identify and call attention to pediatric centers like this one."

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.

Each hospital's reputation among doctors was only a small part of what U.S. News factored into its rankings. Three-quarters of each hospital's score was determined through an analysis of patient outcomes and data on the structural resources each hospital has for pediatric care.