U.S. News ranks MUSC best in four specialties

Four specialty services at MUSC are among the best in the nation based on an objective ranking by U.S. News and World Report in the magazine’s 1997 “America’s Best Hospitals” guide.

The rankings appear in the July 27 issue of the magazine available on the newsstand since July 20.

According to U.S. News and World Report, “Any institution listed among the top 42 medical centers in any specialty would be considered a leading center.” MUSC’s specialties included in this category of leading center are: cardiology and cardiac surgery (ranked 35th); endocrinology (ranked 25th); gastroenterology (ranked 24th); and neurology and neurosurgery (ranked 29th).

The publication says that the intent of “America’s Best Hospitals” has been to help those seeking the very highest level of skills in diagnosing, treating, or managing a difficult medical condition.

It states that the rankings “still represent the only effort that subjects all 6,400 hospitals in the United States to scrutiny in this way.” To be eligible for ranking in any of the 16 specialties, a hospital had to meet at least one of three requirements: affiliation with a medical school, membership in the Council of Teaching Hospitals, or having a minimum of nine out of 17 key technologies readily available. Of the 6,400 U.S. hospitals, 1,985 met the initial eligibility test. The final rankings take in 132 hospitals. These rankings were based on final scores These scores (for most specialties) have three equal components:

Reputation with board-certified specialists. The reputational scores come from an annual survey of 150 board-certified specialists in each of 16 specialties, 2,400 in all.

Predicted Mortality. Death rates for each specialty were calculated by Sachs Group, an Evanston, Ill., supplier of information in health and other areas.

Other data. Based on annual surveys by the American Hospital Association, these include the number of nurses at a hospital, the technology available to patients, and other medical information.

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