UT Southwestern tops region in U.S. News & World Report rankings

DALLAS — July 16, 2009 — UT Southwestern Medical Center is nationally ranked in more specialty-care areas than any other health care provider in North Texas in U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Hospitals 2009-10.

The UT Southwestern specialties and their respective ranks on the list include: urology at 15; neurology and neurosurgery at 20; kidney disorders at 23; and gynecology at 33.

The America’s Best Hospitals guide identifies 174 out of about 4,800 medical centers nationwide that excelled in one or more of 16 specialties. The rankings in 12 of the 16 specialties weigh four elements equally: reputation, death rate, patient safety and a set of care-related factors such as nursing and patient services. In these 12 specialties, medical institutions have to pass through several criteria to be ranked in the Best Hospitals guide.

The data will be available online beginning Thursday, July 16, at http://www.usnews.com. The magazine issue will be available on newsstands starting Tuesday, July 21.

 “These specialty rankings affirm the excellence UT Southwestern is building upon in our strategic initiative,” said Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky, president of UT Southwestern. “We are dedicated to enhancing quality, safety and innovation in patient care, reinforced by superb clinical and basic research and our commitment to training the next generation of dedicated physicians and scientists.”

To make the list, a facility must be a teaching hospital; have at least 200 beds; or have at least 100 beds plus four of eight important medical technologies.

To be ranked in a particular specialty, a hospital must have either a specified volume in certain procedures and conditions over three years, or must have been nominated in the magazine’s yearly specialist survey.

In addition to UT Southwestern, Parkland Memorial Hospital — which is staffed by
UT Southwestern physicians — ranked 11th in gynecology. UT Southwestern physicians also provide the majority of specialists for Children’s Medical Center Dallas, recently named one of the top 10 children’s hospitals nationwide in a separate analysis by U.S. News & World Report.

Media Contact: Katherine Morales
214-648-3404
katherine.morales@utsouthwestern.edu

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