Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC Again Named One of the Nation’s Best Children’s Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report

PITTSBURGH, PA - June 5, 2012 - Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC has been named to U.S. News & World Report’s 2012-13 Honor Roll of Best Children’s Hospitals, one of only 12 hospitals in the nation to earn the distinction.

The Best Children’s Hospitals rankings feature 50 pediatric hospitals ranked in each of 10 specialties: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, and urology. Hospitals that ranked high in three or more specialties made the honor roll.

Children’s Hospital was ranked in nine specialties and met the criteria for the honor roll by earning a high ranking in at least three specialties. Children’s ranked 6th in diabetes and endocrinology; 6th in gastroenterology; 8th in neonatology; and 10th in urology.

“We’re proud of our place among the top children’s hospitals in the country. Our inclusion in the rankings of the various specialties speaks to the breadth and depth of our programs, and to the expertise and commitment of our physicians and employees,” said Christopher Gessner, president, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. “Ultimately, recognition such as this speaks to the dedication our team has to the patients and families we serve from all over the world.”

The 2012-13 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings are published online today and also will be published in the U.S. News Best Hospitals 2013 guidebook, which will be available in August.

This year, U.S. News surveyed 178 pediatric centers to obtain data such as availability of key resources and ability to prevent complications and infections. The hospital survey accounted for 75 percent of the rankings. A separate reputational survey accounted for the remaining 25 percent. In this reputational survey, 1,500 pediatric specialists — 150 in each specialty — were asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty.

In addition to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, the 11 hospitals named to U.S. News’ Honor Roll of Best Children’s Hospitals for 2012-13 are:

• Boston Children’s Hospital
• Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
• Texas Children’s Hospital
• Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
• Seattle Children’s Hospital
• Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
• Children’s Hospital Colorado
• Nationwide Children’s Hospital
• Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
• St. Louis Children’s Hospital-Washington University

Andrea Kunicky, 412-692-6254, andrea.kunicky@chp.edu
Marc Lukasiak, 412-692-7919, marc.lukasiak@chp.edu