Children's Hospital ranks among top in nation

Children's Hospital ranks among top in nation

Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital has been recognized in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals rankings, now available online at http://www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals online.

The Children’s Hospital previously was included in the 2008 Best Children’s Hospitals ranking.

“We salute Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital,” said Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. “The goal of the Best Children's Hospitals rankings is to call attention to pediatric centers with the expertise to help the sickest kids, and Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital is one of those centers.”

The new rankings recognize the top 50 children’s hospitals in 10 specialties: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology. Seventy-six hospitals are ranked in at least one specialty.

“We are honored by this recognition of the quality of care and outcomes provided by our medical and support staff at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital,” said Harold L. Paz, CEO of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State’s senior vice dean for health affairs, and dean of Penn State's College of Medicine. “This recognition is especially significant, given that most of our peers on the rankings list operate dedicated, freestanding children’s hospitals. The level of care families in this region have come to expect from our pediatric specialists will only be enhanced when the Children’s Hospital moves into its new freestanding home next fall.”

Now in its fifth year, Best Children’s Hospitals pulls together clinical and operational data from a lengthy survey, completed by the majority of the 177 hospitals asked to participate for the 2011-12 rankings. The survey asks hundreds of questions about survival rates, nurse staffing, subspecialist availability, and many more pieces of critical information difficult or impossible for those in charge of a child’s care to find on their own. The data from the survey is combined with recommendations from pediatric specialists on the hospitals they consider best for children with challenging problems.

“This is an achievement earned by our highly skilled and caring pediatric staff,” said Craig Hillemeier, medical director at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. “It is a result of the commitment that all of our faculty and staff make every day to provide excellent care to the children of central Pennsylvania.”

For the full rankings and methodology, visit www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals.

Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital is the only children’s hospital in central Pennsylvania. Our physicians and nurses provide comprehensive support and specialized care to infants, children, and adolescents every day. With a focus on providing first-rate health care to all children, from those with complex heart disease to childhood cancers, the Children’s Hospital allows patients to receive the full spectrum of highest quality care close to their homes.

The Children’s Hospital includes the highest level neonatal intensive care unit, a leading pediatric intensive care unit and the only pediatric trauma center in the region.