Primary Children’s makes U.S. News Media Group’s 2011-12 Best Children’s Hospitals Rankings

Washington DC – May 17, 2011 – Primary Children’s Medical Center has ranked seven pediatric specialty areas in U.S. News Media Group’s Best Children’s Hospitals rankings, now available online at www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals.

The ranked pediatric specialty areas include:
Neurology & Neurosurgery 6th
Orthopedics 30th
Cardiology & Heart Surgery 31st
Gastroenterology 32nd
Nephrology 35th
Cancer treatment 38th
Neonatology 49th

“We salute Primary Children’s,” said Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. “The goal of the Best Children's Hospitals rankings is to call attention to pediatric centers with the expertise to help the sickest kids, and Primary Children’s is one of those centers.”

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.

“Every person at Primary Children’s lives our mission of putting The Child First and Always in the care we provide to our community through each of our pediatric specialty areas,” said Joe Mott, CEO of Primary Children’s. “We are honored to be part of such a prestigious list of children’s hospitals from across the country.”

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 difficult or impossible for those in charge of a child’s care to find on their own. The data from the survey is 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.

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