CHOC Children’s has been ranked as one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals in U.S. News & World Report’s 2014-15 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings, available today at www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals. CHOC ranked in seven specialties: cancer; pulmonology; neonatology, which earned a “top 20” spot; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; gastroenterology and GI surgery; and urology.
The Best Children’s Hospitals rankings, first introduced in 2007, highlight the nation’s top 50 pediatric facilities in 10 specialties, based on a combination of clinical data and reputation. To gather clinical data, U.S. News sent a clinical questionnaire to 183 pediatric hospitals. Five-sixths of each hospital’s score relied on patient outcomes and care-related resources made available at each facility. The remaining one-sixth of the score was derived from a survey of 450 pediatric specialists and subspecialists. The physicians were asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialties, setting aside location and expense.
“Every Best Children’s Hospital deserves high praise,” said U.S. News Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. “We know how important it is for 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.”
This year’s rankings coincide with CHOC’s 50th anniversary, marking a long-standing commitment to providing the highest quality care to the children and families in Southern California. Last year, CHOC opened The Bill Holmes Tower, home to Orange County’s only pediatric-dedicated emergency department, operating rooms, clinical laboratory and imaging services.
“At the beginning, middle and end of each day, our goal at CHOC is to deliver high-quality, safe and reliable health care to our patients. This is what drives us. The recognition by U.S News of our high performance in these seven subspecialties is a validation that our approach is on the right track, and that local children and families are benefitting,” said Dr. James Cappon, CHOC’s chief quality officer.
