MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital achieves top rankings in annual U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals

MUSC SJCH only children’s hospital in South Carolina to be ranked

Charleston, S.C. (June 21, 2023) – U.S. News & World Report’s (USNWR) 2023-2024 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings once again recognize the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital (SJCH) as South Carolina’s only children’s hospital to make its list. In addition, the hospital gained two ranked specialties in the national list and moved up two spots to No. 9 in the Southeast region's best children’s hospitals survey. The latest rankings are published online and highlight MUSC Children’s Health care team members' unwavering commitment to patients and families.

The highly recognized specialties for MUSC SJCH include the following national rankings:

The 2023-2024 survey includes six specialties that ranked nationally, increasing from four in 2022-2023, with neonatology ranking nationally for the first time. Orthopedics rejoined the nationally ranked list after a brief hiatus.

This year, the MUSC Health Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center achieved third in the nation for outcomes. This significant achievement recognizes that the center’s expected outcomes are among the best in the nation. USNWR issues the annual rankings “to help families with complex and rare conditions find the best medical care for their children,” according to the publication’s website. The rankings are designed to steer parents and caregivers to the hospitals that are best equipped to treat their children.

The 17th annual rankings highlight the top 50 U.S. pediatric hospitals in each of 10 specialties: Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Gastroenterology & GI surgery, Neonatology, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology and Urology.

“MUSC Children’s Health continues to receive national recognition of the high level of expert pediatric care we provide in a safe and compassionate environment for parents seeking care for their child,” said Mark A. Scheurer, M.D., MUSC chief for children’s and women’s services. “Every day, we strive to transform the delivery of care for South Carolina families and throughout the Southeast region. These rankings are one of many measures that demonstrate the devotion and pride of the team we have at MUSC Children’s and Women’s Health.”

This is the 16th consecutive year that the 4th-ranked Cardiology and Heart Surgery program has made the list of Best Children’s Hospitals and the second year in a row at No. 4 in the nation. Criteria include the survival rate of patients after complex heart surgeries along with the level of specialized staff, services and technologies and the ability to prevent infections.

The MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital’s cancer program tied for No. 26 on the list of Best Children’s Hospitals for Cancer. That’s a five-level increase from last year’s ranking and a direct result of achieving 14^th in the nation in outcomes. Cancer ranked No. 3 in the Southeast for the second year in a row for overall care in the region. These rankings are based in part on the five-year survival rate for children with leukemia-related cancer, bone marrow transplant services, programs for brain tumors and sarcomas and also infection prevention.

A critical benchmark measured by USNWR is patient outcomes. Four of 10 MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital programs placed in the top 50 nationally for outcomes, including:

No. 3: Cardiology & Cardiac Surgery.
No. 14: Cancer.
No. 31: Orthopedics.
No. 40: Urology.

For the third year, U.S. News featured regional rankings, and the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital placed at #9, two spots higher than last year, for the highly competitive Southeast region, which includes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. All six of of MUSC Health’s nationally recognized pediatric specialties ranked in the top 10:

No. 2: Cardiology & Cardiac Surgery.
No. 4: Cancer.
No. 7: Orthopedics.
No. 8: Gastroenterology & GI surgery.
No. 9: Neonatology.
No. 9: Nephrology.

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 adhere to best practices and prevent infections; and expert opinion among pediatric specialists. Each year, there are adjustments to the methodology that may affect hospital rankings. This year saw reductions in the weight of the expert opinion, an increase in the commitment to best practices and the equity, diversity and inclusion scores and a reduction to the infection prevention score.

“Our MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital care team members continue to be recognized for the outstanding care, service and commitment they provide, and I personally could not be prouder of their endless perseverance, heroic efforts and the stellar outcomes they achieve,” said Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., MUSC Health CEO and executive vice president for Health Affairs, University. “The strength of our specialty rankings is a testament to the quality of care that our team members provide to patients and their families on a daily basis.”

MUSC Health-Charleston Division CEO, David Zaas, M.D., shared, “We are so proud of our MUSC Children’s Health team for this recognition and the incredible care they provide to our patients and families. These outstanding rankings place the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital amongst the top pediatric hospitals in the nation! This year, we are excited about two additional specialties that joined the rankings. Orthopedics reentered the rankings after a brief hiatus, and Neonatology joined the rankings for the first time. We now have six nationally recognized children’s specialties and are the top children’s hospital in South Carolina.”

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About the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital and Pearl Tourville Women’s Pavilion

The MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital (SJCH) consists of 250 beds and opened in February 2020 as a replacement facility for the MUSC Children’s Hospital built in the late 1980s and formerly located on Ashley Avenue. More than 200 care team members, MUSC leaders, administrators and family and patient representatives were instrumental in the concept, design and building of this facility. By providing the most advanced pediatric care possible in more than 26 specialty areas, in person or through a robust telehealth network, SJCH includes a Level 1 trauma center and Emergency Department, the state’s only pediatric burn center and solid-organ and bone marrow transplant programs, the state’s largest Level 4 neonatal intensive care unit, an advanced maternal fetal medicine center and a top-4 ranked U.S. News & World Report children’s cardiology & cardiac surgery program, which functions through a nationally unique statewide collaboration of pediatric heart surgeons and cardiologists.

Housed within the SJCH, the Pearl Tourville Women’s Pavilion (PTWP) seamlessly integrates children’s care and obstetrical services, thereby enhancing safety and improving outcomes in high-risk pregnancies. We understand that everyone plans for a healthy, normal birth, and for those who have that outcome, we want them to enjoy our top-notch labor and delivery care. Not all families have this opportunity, and they, too, deserve a place of compassion, expertise and excellent care. Working collaboratively with the advanced maternal fetal care center for families expecting babies with complex congenital birth defects and medical problems, PTWP care providers are one of only a handful of teams in the country able to offer couplet-care rooms, where newborns and mothers can recover together in an intensive-care setting.