Tuesday, July 6, 2004

DUMC Makes “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 15th Straight Year
By Pat French

Every summer for the past 15 years, US News & World Reports has published its list of “America’s Best Hospitals.” And every time, Duke University Medical Center (DUMC) has placed in the top 10 overall, earning it a place on the magazine’s Honor Roll. This year is no exception.

The July 12 issue of USNWR contains the results of ranking 177 hospitals (of 6012 candidates) in 17 specialties. DUMC placed sixth overall, for the fifth straight year, tied with the University of California at San Francisco. The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, and UCLA Medical Center represented the top 5 centers in the U.S.

For 16 of the 17 specialty areas examined, DUMC’s ranking ranged from #3 for Heart and Heart Surgery to #27 for Ear, Nose, and Throat. (DUMC was not ranked for Rehabilitation—this section is ranked only by reputation; that is, being named by specialists in survey responses.)

The analyses that produce the rankings are performed by the National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago. Their methods have been refined over the years; the method currently in use was developed in 1993. The full report can be viewed at http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/hosptl/tophosp.htm.