UF Health Shands Hospital nationally ranked in six specialties for 2018-19

University of Florida Health Shands Hospital ranks among the nation’s best in six specialties in the 2018-19 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” survey released today, ranking highest in Florida in pulmonology and in neurology and neurosurgery.

UF Health Shands ranked No. 2 overall among Florida hospitals.

No other Florida hospital has more than six specialties ranked in the nation’s top 50. And for the fourth year in a row, UF Health Shands ranked in more adult and pediatric specialties than any other hospital in the state — a total of 12, factoring in pediatric rankings released in June.

UF Health Shands’ highest-ranked specialty nationally is pulmonology at 22nd. Also ranked are nephrology (27th), geriatrics (32nd), neurology and neurosurgery (32nd), diabetes and endocrinology (39th) and gastroenterology and GI surgery (46th).

“We take great pride in our UF Health Shands team and the unwavering skill and commitment they bring to patient care, and these rankings are a reflection of their dedication,” said David R. Nelson, M.D., interim senior vice president for health affairs at UF and president of UF Health. “Our patients expect the best from us. And we do everything we can to ensure we are deserving of the trust they place in UF Health.”

Four additional specialties are rated as “high performing,” meaning they ranked in the top 10 percent of the hospitals surveyed by U.S. News. Those are cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, orthopaedics and urology.

“The physicians, nurses and staff of a great hospital system recognize that the respect of patients is something that can never be taken for granted and must be continually renewed,” said Ed Jimenez, CEO of UF Health Shands Hospital. “We all work tirelessly to provide our patients with the highest standard of care. We’re honored that U.S. News has again recognized our efforts. But we know the job of providing great health care begins anew tomorrow, one patient at a time.”

Pulmonology jumped 12 spots in the rankings, up from last year’s 34th. The division has a highly regarded lung transplant program and was recently designated as a member of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation’s Care Center Network. Medical centers in the network — the division is one of 60 nationwide — have the highest level of expertise and resources for the treatment of interstitial lung disease.

“We are very pleased by the new ranking of our division,” said Borna Mehrad, M.D., a professor and chief of the UF College of Medicine’s division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. “This recognition is representative of the ongoing efforts of the University of Florida and UF Health Shands Hospital to provide the highest quality of care to patients with lung disease and critical illness in our region.”

U.S. News also evaluated treatment involving “common procedures and conditions” at UF Health and rated five as “high performing.” Those are abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, colon cancer surgery, knee replacement, heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.

“These rankings are a testament to the outstanding work and dedication of our faculty, staff and clinical care teams at UF Health in each of our core missions of clinical care, research and education,” said Joseph A. Tyndall, M.D., M.P.H., FACEP, a professor and interim dean of the UF College of Medicine. “We have an unstoppable commitment to excellence."

The “Best Hospitals” rankings are based largely or entirely on objective measures such as risk-adjusted survival and readmission rates, patient volume, patient experience and safety, and quality of nursing, among several metrics, according to U.S. News.

U.S. News evaluated about 4,500 medical centers nationwide in 25 specialties, procedures and conditions. Only 158 hospitals were ranked in at least one specialty.

The new hospital rankings and methodology are available at https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals.