The University of Mississippi Medical Center is recognized in the specialties of cancer, nephrology and urology in this year’s U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals rankings. UMMC was also recognized as one of the best hospitals in the metropolitan Jackson region.
UMMC had 22 physicians included on the list of U.S. News Top Doctors, which means they ranked among the top 10 percent of doctors nationally. These doctors span 17 specialty areas and were selected based on a peer nomination process. Of the 22 physicians on the list, eleven of them rank among the top 1 percent in the nation.
Janet Harris, interim CEO of University Hospitals and Health System, said she was excited by the recognition. “Our teams have worked together with a continuing focus on quality care and patient outcomes. Our overall goal is to improve the health of all Mississippians and these teams and physicians are rightfully recognized for their outstanding efforts toward this cause,” she said.
The hospital rankings, said U.S. News Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow, are like a GPS-type aid to help steer patients to hospitals with strong skills in the procedures and medical conditions that present the biggest challenges.
“All of these hospitals are the kinds of medical centers that should be on your list when you need the best care,” Comarow said. “They are where other hospitals send the toughest cases.”
The regional rankings are aimed primarily at consumers whose care may not demand the special expertise found only at nationally ranked hospitals or who may not be willing or able to travel long distances for medical care. The U.S. News metro rankings give many such patients and their families more options of hospitals within their community and in their health insurance network, according to U.S. News.
This year’s Best Hospitals, the 23rd annual edition, showcases more than 720 of the nation’s roughly 5,000 hospitals. Fewer than 150 are nationally ranked in at least one of 16 medical specialties. The rest of the recognized hospitals met a standard of performance nearly as demanding in one or more specialties.
Hard numbers stand behind the rankings in most specialties—death rates, patient safety, procedure volume and other objective data. Responses to a national survey, in which physicians were asked to name hospitals they consider best in their specialty for the toughest cases, also were factored in.
The rankings cover 16 medical specialties and all 94 metro areas that have at least 500,000 residents and at least one hospital that performed well enough to be ranked.
The complete rankings and methodology are available at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals and will also be featured in the U.S. News Best Hospitals guidebook.
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