July 18, 1997
UWMC among top 10 in the nation in U.S. News’ Best Hospitals
University of Washington Medical Center is again ranked among the top 10 hospitals in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 1997 annual guide to “America’s Best Hospitals,” available on newsstands July 21.
UWMC was ranked 10th in the nation among the 1,800 major medical centers considered in this year’s survey. It is the only hospital west of Iowa and north of California to achieve a top-10 ranking. UWMC has been ranked among the top 15 nationally by U.S. News since 1993.
To qualify for the U.S. News Honor Roll, a hospital had to rank highly in at least six of 17 specialties. UWMC ranked 8th in U.S. News’ first-ever ranking of pulmonology. It ranked in the top 10 in an additional four specialties: rehabilitation (3rd), cancer (8th), cardiology (9th), and orthopedics (9th). Of note is UWMC’s ranking in cardiology, up from 23rd in last year’s survey.
UWMC also ranked in the top 2 percent of tertiary-care hospitals nationwide in an additional six specialties: geriatrics (11th), otolaryngology (11th), AIDS (16th), rheumatology (18th), gynecology (24th) and urology (34th). In addition, Seattle’s Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, which is closely affiliated with the UW School of Medicine, ranked number 20 in pediatrics.
“This recognition — unique to the Northwest — attests to the exceptional commitment to high-quality care that exists at University of Washington Medical Center,” said Dr. Paul G. Ramsey, UW vice president for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine. “I am very proud of the outstanding patient care provided by our faculty and staff at UW Medical Center, as well as at Harborview Medical Center and Children’s Hospital and Medical Center.”
For 13 of the specialties ranked, U.S. News, in conjunction with the National Opinion Research Center, developed a mathematical model that considers three equal components: reputation with board-certified specialists, death rate statistics, and various medical information including such factors as the amount of medical technology.
In the other four specialties‹pediatrics, psychiatry, ophthalmology and rehabilitation‹rankings are based on a reputational survey of physicians.
U.S. News’ Honor Roll of the nation’s leading hospitals includes Johns Hopkins Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, Duke University Medical Center, UCLA Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic, University of California San Francisco Medical Center, Stanford University Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, University of Washington Medical Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, University of Chicago Hospitals, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.
University of Washington Medical Center began operations on May 4, 1959, as an integral component of the University of Washington Health Sciences Center. It is a primary teaching hospital for the UW School of Medicine, the only medical school for the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI) region.
Located on the University of Washington campus, UWMC is licensed as a 450bed comprehensive care facility. It is consistently ranked as one of the best hospitals in the nation. Patients benefit from state-of-the-art care, a nursing staff with advanced training, and a commitment to quality and value. The nearly 400 attending physicians on staff are full-time faculty members of the highly regarded UW School of Medicine.
UWMC is both a regional referral and treatment center for specialized medical care and a provider of comprehensive primary care services for Greater Seattle residents, with more than 80 outpatient clinics and multidisciplinary specialty centers. A new primary care facility, UWMCRoosevelt, opened in 1994 in Seattle’s University District, offering expanded services in family medicine, women’s health and general internal medicine, as well as a Bone and Joint Center and a Multidisciplinary Pain Center.
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