Five MUSC Children’s Hospital programs named as part of annual U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals

Charleston, S.C. (June 18, 2019)– MUSC Children’s Hospital is once again the only institution in South Carolina to be ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 2019-20 edition of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals. The latest rankings are published online.

The leading specialties for MUSC Children’s Hospital include: No. 7 for cardiology and heart surgery, No. 25 for nephrology, No. 38 for gastroenterology and GI surgery, No. 40 for cancer and No. 40 for orthopedics. This is the 12th consecutive year that the top 10 ranked cardiology and heart surgery program has made the overall Best Children’s Hospitals list. 

Breaking into the top 10 list for the nation, the cardiology and heart surgery programs comprise a team of care providers with unparalleled clinical and patient-centered expertise in diagnostic, surgical and treatment services for children with heart disease in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. These physicians and other care providers work together with other pediatric specialists to coordinate care and provide the best possible outcomes to patients and their families. Cancer, gastroenterology and GI surgery, orthopedics and nephrology continued strong showings for this ranking period.

“We are proud to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report for five of our pediatric specialties, including our cardiology and heart surgery program in the top 10 list,” said Mark A. Scheurer, M.D., MUSC Children’s Health chief of clinical services. “These rankings are a testament to the outstanding effort and quality of care our teams provide on a daily basis. This level of excellence will continue to occur as we expand into the community with our new ambulatory campus in North Charleston and the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital and Pearl Tourville Women’s Pavilion, opening this fall. These technologically advanced facilities will transform the delivery of care to children and women in the Lowcountry and throughout South Carolina.”

The 13th annual rankings highlight the top 50 U.S. pediatric hospitals in each of 10 specialties: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and GI surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology. In the 2019-20 rankings, 84 of the 191 hospitals surveyed were ranked in at least one of the 10 specialties.

The current methodology combines clinical and operational data, results from a reputational survey of board-certified pediatric specialists, and supplemental information from resources such as the National Cancer Institute. RTI International collects and analyzes the data for the rankings.The methodology reflects clinical outcomes, such as patient survival, infection rates and complications; the level and quality of hospital resources directly related to patient care, such as staffing, technology and special services; delivery of health care, such as programs that prevent infections and adherence to best practices; and expert opinion among pediatric specialists.

"Once again our MUSC Children’s Health and Children’s Hospital care team members have been cited for the incredible care they are delivering every day,” said Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., MUSC Health CEO and University vice president for Health Affairs. “I think it’s becoming even more apparent to all those we serve throughout the state that MUSC Health, which includes our Children’s Health teams, is the state’s flagship health system, changing what’s possible through the administration of excellent, high quality and accurate patient care; deep and robust connections to research innovation and partnerships; and by training the health care providers of tomorrow. These amazing Children’s Health team members are leading the standard and quality of care on the Charleston peninsula and beyond, and it’s inspiring to watch them reach new goals and dream even bigger dreams as we move ahead.”

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About MUSC Children’s Health

At MUSC Children’s Health we are imagining what’s possible for each and every child by providing the pediatric expertise your child deserves and needs. From promoting healthy lifestyles to offering life-saving treatments, we deliver comprehensive and compassionate care to children throughout South Carolina and beyond. Our integrated health care system consists of a 186-bed pediatric hospital providing the most advanced care possible in more than 26 specialty areas. We also provide the same depth and breadth of expertise in multiple neighborhood locations throughout the Lowcountry, offering primary, urgent and specialty care. 
As a Level 1 Trauma center, our pediatric emergency department specializes in providing emergency care for any serious injury or illness your child may experience at home, at school or at play. Working collaboratively with pediatricians throughout the community, MUSC Children’s Health also provides after-hours care to children from birth to 17 years of age in three different locations on weeknights, weekends and holidays. In addition to the clinical care MUSC Children’s Health provides, we are a major pediatric clinical research center conducting significant and ongoing research efforts through the Charles P. Darby Research Institute. This involvement allows us to enhance our ability to provide the highest level of care to children by translating laboratory advances to bedside, developing new technologies and providing clinical trials.  For more information visit http://musckids.org.