Children’s Hospital again ranked among best in the nation by U.S. News

Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital has been ranked in six specialties – its most ever – in U.S. News & World Report's 2014-15 Best Children's Hospitals rankings.

Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital ranked in cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics and urology. This marks the fourth consecutive year in which Penn State Hershey has been ranked in multiple specialties. The Children's Hospital first made the Best Children's Hospitals list in 2008.

The rankings highlight the top 50 U.S. hospitals in each of ten pediatric specialties: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology.

“We are honored to be recognized in six specialties for the high quality of care, comprehensive services and excellent outcomes that Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital provides,” said Dr. Harold L. Paz, CEO of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Health System, Penn State's senior vice president for health affairs, and dean, Penn State College of Medicine. “This recognition is a validation of the inspired care and compassionate support provided to our patients and families by our excellent physicians, nurses, clinical specialists, technicians, researchers, administrators and support staff.”

U.S. News introduced the Best Children's Hospitals rankings in 2007 to help families of sick children find the best medical care available, especially for complex conditions. The rankings offer families an array of detailed information about each hospital's performance.

In compiling the latest rankings, U.S. News considered several objective criteria. Five-sixths of each hospital's score relied on patient outcomes and the care-related resources each hospital makes available. To gather clinical data, U.S. News sent a clinical questionnaire to 183 pediatric hospitals. The remaining one-sixth of the score was derived from a survey of 450 pediatric specialists and subspecialists in each specialty over three years. The 4,500 physicians were asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty, setting aside location and expense.

“We're thrilled to see our dedicated and skilled faculty and staff receive this well-deserved recognition of their efforts to provide unparalleled care for children and families,” said Dr. Craig Hillemeier, medical director, Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital.

“Every Best Children's Hospital deserves high praise,” said Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. “We know how important it is to parents to have confidence in pediatric centers that show dedication and expertise in caring for a child facing a life-threatening, rare or demanding illness.”

The full rankings and methodology are available at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/pediatric-rankings.

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