Best Hospitals 2010-11 includes rankings of 152 medical centers nationwide in 16 specialties, including cancer, diabetes and endocrinology, ear, nose, and throat, gastroenterology, geriatrics, gynecology, heart and heart surgery, kidney disorders, neurology and neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopedics, psychiatry, pulmonology, rehabilitation, rheumatology, and urology. Full data is available online for another 1,740 hospitals that qualified for ranking but did not score high enough to be ranked. 

"We are extremely proud of the quality care our multidisciplinary cardiac team of physicians, surgeons, nursing staff, and technicians provide to our patients," said Michael P. Halter, chief executive officer, "It is their dedication to excellence that led to Hahnemann’s U.S. News & World Report ranking for Heart and Heart Surgery." 

The rankings in 12 of the 16 specialties were driven by hard data such as death rates, procedure volume, and balance of nurses and patients. In the four remaining specialties -- ophthalmology, psychiatry, rehabilitation, and rheumatology -- hospitals were ranked on reputation alone.  

To be considered in any of the 12 data-driven specialties, a hospital first had to meet at least one of four criteria: It had to be a teaching hospital, or be affiliated with a medical school, or have at least 200 beds, or have 100 or more beds and the availability of four or more types of medical technology considered important in a high-quality medical facility, such as a PET/CT scanner and certain precision radiation therapies.   

Next, the hospitals had to meet a volume requirement, individually calculated for each specialty. The required volume was the number of Medicare inpatients from 2006 to 2008 who had various specified procedures and conditions in the specialty. A hospital that fell short could still qualify if it had been nominated by at least one physician in any of the U.S. News Best Hospitals reputational surveys conducted in 2008, 2009, and 2010. 

"When the stakes are high, you want the best care you can get for yourself or someone close to you," said Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. "These hospitals are accustomed to seeing the sickest patients day in and day out."

About Hahnemann University Hospital:

Hahnemann University Hospital is a 540-bed academic medical center at Broad and Vine Streets in Philadelphia, Pa.  The hospital is a tertiary care institution that specializes in cardiac services, heart failure and transplantation, OB/GYN, orthopedics, medical, surgical and radiation oncology, bone marrow transplantation, renal dialysis and kidney/pancreas/liver transplantation. In 2009, Hahnemann earned Magnet® designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program®.  Hahnemann is recognized by the American Heart Association as a leader in coronary artery disease and heart failure treatments.   The hospital performed one of the city’s first kidney transplants in 1963 and one of the first bone marrow transplants in 1976.  Hahnemann became Philadelphia’s first Level I Regional Resource Trauma Center for adults in 1986, and since then has been served by MidAtlantic MedEvac, an aeromedical transport program for critically ill patients. Hahnemann is proud to be the first hospital in Philadelphia to join with The Wellness Community of Philadelphia to offer onsite support and education services to cancer patients and their families.  Hahnemann is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. An affiliate of Drexel University College of Medicine, Hahnemann University Hospital is part of Tenet Pennsylvania, which also includes St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. To learn more about Hahnemann, visit www.hahnemannhospital.com                    

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The ACR awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high practice standards after a peer-review evaluation of the practice. Evaluations are conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. They assess the qualifications of the personnel and the adequacy of the facility equipment.

The surveyors report their findings to the ACR’s Committee on Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report.

“Our goal is to provide high quality imagining,” stated Michael Hallowell, M.D., chair and clinical service chief, Department of Radiology. ”This accreditation, along with the ones we had received previously from the American College of Radiology, indicates that we are achieving this goal.”

This is the fifth accreditation that Hahnemann’s Department of Radiology has received from the ACR. Hahnemann is also accredited for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT), Mammography, and Nuclear Medicine.

“Hahnemann’s radiologists, imaging staff, and management team strive to provide excellent care for our patients,” stated Michael P. Halter, FACHE, chief executive officer. “We are very proud of their accomplishments.”

About Hahnemann University Hospital

Hahnemann University Hospital is a 496-bed academic medical center at Broad and Vine Streets in Philadelphia, Pa.  The hospital is a tertiary care institution that specializes in cardiac services, heart failure and transplantation, OB/GYN, orthopedics, medical, surgical and radiation oncology, bone marrow transplantation, renal dialysis and kidney/pancreas/liver transplantation. In 2009, Hahnemann earned Magnet® designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program®.  Hahnemann is recognized by the American Heart Association as a leader in coronary artery disease and heart failure treatments.   The hospital performed one of the city’s first kidney transplants in 1963 and one of the first bone marrow transplants in 1976.  Hahnemann became Philadelphia’s first Level I Regional Resource Trauma Center for adults in 1986, and since then has been served by MidAtlantic MedEvac, an aeromedical transport program for critically ill patients. Hahnemann is proud to be the first hospital in Philadelphia to join with The Wellness Community of Philadelphia to offer onsite support and education services to cancer patients and their families.  Hahnemann is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. An affiliate of Drexel University College of Medicine, Hahnemann University Hospital is part of Tenet Pennsylvania, which also includes St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. To learn more about Hahnemann, visit www.hahnemannhospital.com    

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Hahnemann received the designations in the following clinical service areas:          

• Cardiac Catheterization
• Heart Failure
• Adult Pneumonia
• Stroke 
• Vaginal Delivery  

“We are pleased that our hospital has been recognized by CIGNA for the high quality care that we provide,” said Michael P. Halter, chief executive officer of Hahnemann University Hospital. “Our physicians and staff work very hard to provide quality patient care, and these designations are evidence of the high standard of care we deliver every day.”

The CIGNA designations are based on the hospital’s effectiveness in treating the selected condition or performing the procedure. The designation measures and weighs complications, mortality and The Leapfrog Group Patient Safety Index.

About Hahnemann University Hospital

Hahnemann University Hospital is a 541-bed academic medical center at Broad and Vine Streets in Philadelphia, Pa.  The hospital is a tertiary care institution that specializes in cardiac services, heart failure and transplantation, OB/GYN, orthopedics, medical, surgical and radiation oncology, bone marrow transplantation, renal dialysis and kidney/pancreas/liver transplantation.  Hahnemann is recognized by the American Heart Association as a leader in coronary artery disease and heart failure treatments.   The hospital performed one of the city’s first kidney transplants in 1963 and one of the first bone marrow transplants in 1976.  Hahnemann became Philadelphia’s first Level I Regional Resource Trauma Center for adults in 1986, and since then has been served by MidAtlantic MedEvac, an aeromedical transport program for critically ill patients. Hahnemann is proud to be the first hospital in Philadelphia to join with The Wellness Community of Philadelphia to offer onsite support and education services to cancer patients and their families.  Hahnemann is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. An affiliate of Drexel University College of Medicine, Hahnemann University Hospital is part of Tenet Pennsylvania, which also includes St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. To learn more about Hahnemann, visit www.hahnemannhospital.com   

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• To be designated a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care, Hahnemann University Hospital met a number of standard including:  
• An established cardiac care program, performing required annual volumes for certain procedures
• Appropriate experience of its cardiac team, including sub-specialty board certification for interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons
• An established acute care inpatient facility, including intensive care, emergency and a full range of cardiac services
• Full accreditation by The Joint Commission, Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP) or national equivalent
• Low overall complication and mortality rates
• A comprehensive quality management program  

Hahnemann demonstrated quality care and better overall outcomes throughout each module, and has met each of the program’s requirements. Hahnemann also offers the required full range of cardiac care services, including inpatient cardiac care, cardiac rehabilitation, cardiac catheterization, and cardiac surgery, which is necessary for the designation.  

“We are very proud that our cardiac services have been recognized for their excellence in patient care and advanced clinical methods. Congratulations to our cardiac care team for achieving this prestigious distinction,” stated Michael P. Halter, FACHE, chief executive officer of Hahnemann University Hospital.

Of the 5,708 hospitals currently registered with the American Hospital Association, only 410 have been awarded the Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care.

About Hahnemann University Hospital

Hahnemann University Hospital is a 541-bed academic medical center at Broad and Vine Streets in Philadelphia, Pa.  The hospital is a tertiary care institution that specializes in cardiac services, heart failure and transplantation, OB/GYN, orthopedics, medical, surgical and radiation oncology, bone marrow transplantation, renal dialysis and kidney/pancreas/liver transplantation.  Hahnemann is recognized by the American Heart Association as a leader in coronary artery disease and heart failure treatments.   The hospital performed one of the city’s first kidney transplants in 1963 and one of the first bone marrow transplants in 1976.  Hahnemann became Philadelphia’s first Level I Regional Resource Trauma Center for adults in 1986, and since then has been served by MidAtlantic MedEvac, an aeromedical transport program for critically ill patients. Hahnemann is proud to be the first hospital in Philadelphia to join with The Wellness Community of Philadelphia to offer onsite support and education services to cancer patients and their families.  Hahnemann is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. An affiliate of Drexel University College of Medicine, Hahnemann University Hospital is part of Tenet Pennsylvania, which also includes St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. To learn more about Hahnemann, visit www.hahnemannhospital.com                                                                                

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