The U’s hospital and clinics have once again won coveted national rankings.
Gynecological and cancer care at the U ranked 18th and 32nd best, respectively, in the nation, according to the annual survey of “America’s Best Hospitals” to be published in the July 23 issue of US News & World Report.
This is the 14th time University Health Care has ranked among the nation’s best health care providers.
“We’re really proud to be recognized on a national level, but we keep our focus on taking care of the patients and their families,” said Ray Lynch, executive director at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
One of the factors that make patient care so unique at the University Hospitals & Clinics is the amount of focus on making the patients and their families as comfortable as possible, Lynch said.
Of 5,462 hospitals evaluated, only 173 met the standard for specialty care, which was based on three qualifications: membership in the Council of Teaching Hospitals, the availability of advanced services and affiliation with a medical school.
The hospitals then had to meet one of two requirements: to have treated a minimum number of Medicare or Medicaid patients who underwent specific procedures, or be named as one of the best by a physician in the latest of three annual surveys.
Finally, the hospitals were rated by factors for each specialty, such as death rate, patient-to-nurse ratio and reputation.
“We don’t worry about (the rankings),” said Lynch. “We get up every morning trying to figure out how to give better care to our patients and to their families. It’s really nice when you’re doing that if you get recognized at a broader level, but it’s not what we’re doing it for.”