US News & World Report: MUSC No. 1 in S.C.

Contact: Heather Woolwine
843-792-7669
woolwinh@musc.edu

Aug 2, 2016

CHARLESTON, SC – MUSC Health was named by U.S. News & World Report as the number one hospital in South Carolina, and one of the country's top 50 hospitals in the treatment of ear, nose and throat (ENT) disorders, gynecology, nephrology, urology, and cancer.  MUSC was also high-performing in gastroenterology & GI surgery, geriatrics, neurology & neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, and rheumatology.

For a more in-depth look at some of the ranked areas, visit news and world report rankings.

“I am proud to hear that U.S. News & World Report has ranked MUSC as the number one hospital in South Carolina. This year, we had numerous clinical teams reach national ranking which reflects their commitment to deliver the highest level of quality and safe care for every patient,” said Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., MUSC Health CEO, and MUSC Vice President of Health Affairs. “These rankings reflect not just reputation but patient outcomes, teaching the next generation of care providers, developing new innovations to improve health, and healthcare leadership.  We are honored to carry on this robust mission for South Carolina and the nation!"

For ENT, this latest ranking marks a break into the top 15 hospitals in the country regarding this designation. Paul Lambert, M.D., director of the MUSC Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, was pleased his division was again recognized as one of the nation’s leading ENT centers.

“We set a goal in our department more than a decade ago to reach the top 20, and this year’s ranking by US News & World Report as #14 in the United States is a further validation of our excellence in the MUSC tripartite mission of patient care, education and research,” Lambert said. “It is a tangible testament to the dedication and work ethic of our incredible faculty – physicians, scientists, audiologists, advanced practice providers, nurses, and administrative staff.  We are pleased with our recognition by US News & World Report, but equally delighted with the record number of MUSC departments and divisions – adult and pediatric – also recognized. The future of our institution is indeed bright.

”U.S. News & World Report unveiled the 27th edition of the Best Hospitals rankings at best hospitals. Designed to help patients with life-threatening or rare conditions identify hospitals that excel in treating the most difficult cases, Best Hospitals includes consumer-friendly data and information on nearly 5,000 medical centers nationwide. In the 2016-17 rankings, 153 U.S. hospitals performed well enough in complex care to be nationally ranked in one or more specialties. U.S. News also identified 504 Best Regional Hospitals, ranking them by state and metro area based on their performance in both complex and common care.

The Best Hospitals methodology measures patient volume, risk-adjusted survival and infection rates and adequacy of nurse staffing, among other care-related indicators. U.S. News further expanded the number of physicians surveyed for the 2016-17 rankings. Methodology updates made for 2016-17 include:

• U.S. News evaluated hospitals in four new areas: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, colon cancer surgery and lung cancer surgery.
• U.S. News made further adjustments to account for the socioeconomic mix of patients treated at hospitals. As a result, a hospital will not be negatively impacted if it sees large numbers of low-income patients.
• U.S. News credited hospitals that voluntarily make key data public in cardiology & heart surgery. The change reduced the weight reputation has in the specialty.

“We strive to provide patients with the highest-quality information on hospitals available,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News. “Driving for broader transparency and evaluating hospitals in a comprehensive, fair way reflects that mission.”

The specialty rankings and data were produced for U.S. News by RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. U.S. News used both the specialty rankings and its recently published Best Hospitals for Common Care ratings to produce the Best Regional Hospitals. U.S. News first began publishing hospital rankings in 1990 as part of an expanding group of consumer advice products. During the past 27 years, the Best Hospitals rankings have helped guide millions of patients and their families to high-quality hospital care when they need it most.

About MUSC Health

MUSC Health is the clinical enterprise of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), comprised of a 700-bed medical center, the MUSC College of Medicine and the physician’s practice plan. It serves patients across South Carolina and beyond through four hospital facilities in Charleston and more than 100 outreach sites. Among these are the Hollings Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-designated center in the state, and a nationally recognized Children’s Hospital. The Medical University was founded in 1824 and has become a premiere academic health sciences center at the forefront of the latest advances in medicine, with world-class physicians, scientists and groundbreaking research and technology that is often the first of its kind in the world. Visit muschealth.org for more information.