Two regional children’s hospitals ranked
National magazine names top 50 facilities
Florida Hospital for Children has for the first time earned a place in U.S. News & World Report’s 2018-2019 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings for its neonatology program.
“Florida Hospital for Children provides the highest quality, most advanced and compassionate care to the children and families we serve, and this first-ever ranking is a recognition of that steadfast commitment,” said Daryl Tol, president and CEO of Florida Hospital and the Central Florida Division of Adventist Health System, in a news release.
Unveiled Tuesday, the U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals rankings identifies the top 50 pediatric hospitals in 10 specialties. Ten hospitals made it to the report’s honor roll, with Boston Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia taking up the top three spots.
Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children ranked among the top 50 hospitals in five specialties, making it the most-ranked hospital in Orlando. But it did slide a few places in rankings compared with last year. The hospital ranked 36th in cardiology, falling two points from 2017. It fell from 21st to 34th in diabetes care. It fell a spot in orthopedics, ranking 34th. It also fell from 36th to 38th place in pulmonology. The hospital climbed one point to the 44th place in urology.
“We are excited to learn that we have been ranked as a Best Children’s Hospital for the ninth year in a row,” said Cary D’Ortona, president of Arnold Palmer Hospital, in a news release. “Our priority has always been to provide the highest level of care for our patients and we’re honored that U.S. News & World Report continues to recognize our team’s hard work and dedication to our community.”
To be included in U.S. News rankings, hospitals must provide extensive data about their services and capabilities. The report tallies up measures including mortality and infection rates, clinical data, and compliance with best practices to rank the top 50 hospitals in each specialty.
“By having access to the most comprehensive data available to supplement guidance from their pediatrician, families are able to make better-informed decisions about where to seek high-quality care for their children,” said Ben Harder, Chief of Health Analysis at U.S. News, in a news release.
A total of 189 hospitals were included in the rankings this year, seven of which are in Florida, including Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando. Nemours Children’s Hospital wasn’t included in report.
U.S. News pointed out that the rankings are a starting point for families and highranked hospitals aren’t always the best choice.
“Within a specialty, hospital performance is judged across a variety of conditions and procedures. So one hospital might outperform another in some of them, but the second might do better in others. In the pediatric orthopedic rankings, for example, one hospital might have an especially busy spina bifida clinic but doesn’t treat complex fractures as efficiently as another hospital might,” according to U.S. News.
For more information, visit health.usnews.com/ besthospitals/pediatric-rankings.