Shands at UF best in state in U.S. News rankings

Shands at the University of Florida has been ranked in eight specialties in the 2010-2011 edition of America’s Best Hospitals, published by U.S. News & World Report, according to reports released today.

Shands at UF had the highest ranking among Florida hospitals in four specialties. Heart and heart surgery was ranked 32nd nationwide, kidney disorders was ranked 40th, pulmonology was ranked 29th, and urology was 25th.

Shands at UF was the only Florida hospital ranked in pulmonology, and, for the third consecutive year, the state’s highest-ranked hospital in urology.

The hospital-based programs are staffed by UF faculty physicians, Shands nurses and other UF and Shands teams.

“Noteworthy is urology’s momentous 10-notch climb from 35 to 25 over the past four years,” said Johannes Vieweg, M.D., a professor and the chairman of the department of urology in the College of Medicine. “Achieving status as a top 25 program is a testament to the quality of our faculty and the commitment of our institutional leadership. We are honored to be recognized as a top program in the Southeast and No. 1 in Florida, and we will continue to provide excellent care, cutting-edge research and superb education. We look forward to many continued successes.”

Shands at UF neurological/neurosurgical programs ranked 39th nationally.

“The neuromedicine programs at the University of Florida including the departments of neurosurgery and neurology are proud of our recognition in this year’s U.S.News & World Report survey,” said William Friedman, M.D., a professor and the chairman of the department of neurosurgery. “The recognition reflects our dedication to high-quality patient care, world-class research and education programs.”

Shands at UF consistently ranks in the America’s Best Hospitals rankings. The rankings weigh the reputation of each hospital, death rate, and a set of care-related factors such as nursing and patient services. Hospitals are scrutinized thoroughly before being ranked and considered a Best Hospital.

U.S. News & World Report's 2010-11 Best Hospitals listings are available online at www.usnews.com/besthospitals and will be featured in the August print issue of U.S.News, available on newsstands July 27.

The following Shands at UF specialties ranked in the 2010 U.S.News & World Report America’s Best Hospitals rankings:

•cancer: 29

•gastroenterology: 41

•*kidney disorders: 40

•geriatrics: 39

•neurology/neurosurgery: 39

•*heart and heart surgery: 32

•*pulmonology: 29

•*urology: 25

*Notes specialties that ranked the highest in Florida.