U.S. News ranks Shands at UF among nation’s best hospitals

Seven medical specialty programs at Shands at the University of Florida are recognized among the nation’s best in the 2011-2012 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals rankings, which were released this morning.

Shands at UF had the highest ranking among Florida hospitals in five specialties: urology (tied for 23rd nationally); cardiology & heart surgery (tied for 27th nationally); neurology & neurosurgery (28th nationally); pulmonology (28th nationally); and nephrology (tied for 35th nationally).

Shands at UF was also ranked in cancer (35th nationally) and gastroenterology (38th nationally).

“Throughout UF&Shands, our faculty, staff and students are fully committed to putting patients first,” said David S. Guzick, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president for health affairs and president of the UF&Shands Health System. “This recognition by U.S. News reflects the strong collaboration between the faculty and the hospital and confirms that we are on the right track, giving us even more enthusiasm for meeting our mission of caring for those who come to us in need.”

The hospital-based programs are staffed by interdisciplinary teams including UF College of Medicine faculty physicians and Shands nursing, clinical and support staff.

“These rankings demonstrate continuing national recognition of our UF&Shands physicians and staff for the exceptionally high quality of care they provide to our patients, and our innovative work seeking better ways to diagnose and treat diseases that rob Americans of their health,” said Michael L. Good, M.D., UF College of Medicine dean.

Out of 4,852 facilities considered for the 2011-12 Best Hospitals rankings, only 140 were ranked in any of the 16 specialties. Shands at UF is recognized consistently in this annual report. The rankings take into consideration the reputation of each hospital, its death rate and a set of care-related factors such as nursing and patient services. Medical centers are assessed for competence providing complex care for patients who are high-risk. For details, see methodology.

Urology was Shands’ highest-ranked program this year.

"This is a tribute to the unwavering dedication of our faculty and staff and is supported by the referring physicians and numerous patients throughout the state who allow us to be their provider of choice for urologic care,” said Johannes Vieweg, M.D., UF College of Medicine urology chairman. “There is no greater responsibility than to care for people when they are ill and at their most vulnerable. Our promise is to consistently deliver individualized, high-quality and safe care, and we are honored that the current rankings are reflective of this commitment."

U.S. News & World Report’s 2011-12 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 Aug. 30.

Additionally, Shands at UF was recognized in five specialties – diabetes & endocrinology; ear, nose & throat; geriatrics; gynecology; and orthopedics – as “high-performing,” meaning they are not in the top 50 rankings but in the top 25 percent of hospitals evaluated.

"U.S. News & World Report has formally recognized what we at UF&Shands observe every day among our physicians, nurses and team members who provide outstanding patient care,” said Timothy M. Goldfarb, Shands HealthCare CEO. “It is especially gratifying that we were highly ranked in so many specialty areas.”

Earlier this year, Shands Hospital for Children was recognized in six medical specialties in the 2011-12 U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals rankings: diabetes & endocrinology (14th); nephrology (33rd); gastroenterology (38th); pulmonology (39th); neurology & neurosurgery (47th); and cardiology & heart surgery (tied for 49th). The diabetes & endocrinology and gastroenterology programs were ranked highest in the state.