Contact: Ryan Davenport, Fairview Health Services, 612.672.4164

MINNEAPOLIS (July 11, 2008)--University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview joined an elite group of hospitals named among the nation’s best in 2008 by U.S. News & World Report.
 
The medical center ranked among the country’s top 50 hospitals in 10 medical specialties, according to the publication’s latest edition of “America’s Best Hospitals” which hits newsstands July 14.

“It’s really a well-deserved honor for our talented staff and clinical partners from the University of Minnesota and the community who continually find better ways to provide exceptional, patient-centered care,” said Gordon Alexander, M.D., president of University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview.

The medical center is ranked in the following specialties (followed by ranking):

cancer, 27
digestive disorders, 33
ears, nose and throat, 24
endocrinology, 23
gynecology, 39
heart and heart surgery, 29
kidney disease, 17
neurology and neurosurgery, 30
respiratory disorders, 45
urology, 30
 
In June, the University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital, Fairview, was ranked among the nation’s top 30 children’s hospitals in two medical specialties in the magazine’s 2008 edition of “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals.”

Each year, U.S. News ranks the nation’s best hospitals using criteria based in part on reputation, death rate and care-related factors like nursing and patient services. To be considered in 12 of the 16 categories of the ‘Best Hospitals’ report, hospitals had to meet at least one of three requirements: be a member of the Council of Teaching Hospitals, be affiliated with a medical school or perform at least six of 13 technology-related procedures such as robotic surgery.

Only 170 of the 5,453 hospitals evaluated in this year’s report met the standard of treating a variety of demanding illnesses and procedures within a specialty.

Some of the medical center’s rankings improved over last year’s report. For instance, it was ranked 24th in ear, nose and throat (ENT), up from 27th in 2007. In heart and heart surgery, the medical center’s ranking improved from 31st to 29th.

The “America’s Best Hospitals” rankings can be found at www.usnews.com.