Newswise — ENT, orthopedics, gynecology programs ranked top in Illinois in 'Best Hospitals' issue

Rush University Medical Center

U.S. News & World Report ranked eight specialty care programs at Rush University Medical Center among the best in the country in its annual “Best Hospitals” issue, published today. Rush’s orthopedics program was ranked fifth in the country and remains the highest-ranked orthopedics program in Illinois. The gynecology and ear, nose and throat programs also remain the highest ranked of these specialties in Illinois.

The following Rush programs were included in the rankings:

  • Orthopedics — 5th
  • Geriatrics — 14th
  • Neurology and Neurosurgery — 17th
  • Ear, Nose and Throat — 33rd
  • Gynecology — 34th
  • Cancer — 43rd
  • Cardiology and Heart Surgery — 43rd
  • Kidney Disease (Nephrology) — 44th

In addition to the national rankings in these eight programs, U.S. News gave Rush “High Performing” status in nine adult procedures and conditions. Rush Oak Park Hospital was given “High Performing” status in COPD and heart failure by U.S. News, and is ranked 4 out of 5 stars in patient experience.

Rush remains among a small group of hospitals that ranked highly in multiple specialties. Only 152 hospitals of the more than 4,500 hospitals in the United States —  about 3 percent — scored high enough for U.S. News to rank them nationally in even one specialty.

“These rankings again show the sustained excellence of multiple programs at Rush, reflecting both the very high quality of the clinical care we provide for our patients and our rapidly growing research efforts that are making care even better,” said Dr. Larry Goodman, CEO of the Rush system and of Rush University Medical Center. “We’re able to maintain this high performance thanks to the dedication and skill of everyone at Rush, both within the ranked programs and in other areas. I congratulate and thank everyone at the Medical Center for this achievement.”

Rankings the latest in steady stream of honors for Rush

The U.S. News rankings are the latest in a consistent stream of honors for Rush University Medical Center and the other Rush system hospitals that are unique among U.S. academic health systems, including the following recognitions:

  • All three Rush hospitals — Rush University Medical Center, Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rush Copley Medical Center — received an ‘A’ grade, the highest possible, from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit patient safety watchdog organization, in its latest round of its twice-yearly safety grades.
  • Both Rush Copley Medical Center and Rush Oak Park Hospital received the Leapfrog Group’s Top Hospitals designation (which is different from Leapfrog’s safety grade) in December 2016.
  • Rush University Medical Center and Rush Oak Park Hospital each have received four stars from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Hospital Compare overall rating. Both have been rated four stars in each quarter since July, when CMS began issuing the overall rating.  
  • In September 2016, Rush University Medical Center was ranked fifth in the nation among 102 leading academic medical centers in the latest annual quality and accountability study conducted by Vizient Inc.
  • Rush University Medical Center received its fourth consecutive Magnet designation, the highest honor in nursing, in January 2016, and Rush Oak Park Hospital received Magnet status in March of that year.
  • In March, the Human Rights Campaign — a civil rights organization that advocates for equality for people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and/or queer/questioning — named Rush University Medical Center a Leader in LGBT Health Equality for the ninth consecutive year. The HRC also named Rush Oak Park Hospital a leader for the fourth consecutive year.
  • Rush University Medical Center and Rush Oak Park Hospital both have received the Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award, which recognizes hospitals that provide an overall outstanding patient experience. Healthgrades evaluates patient experience performance by applying a scoring methodology to 10 patient experience measures, using data collected from the 32-question survey of the hospital’s own patients. Hospitals in the top 15 percent with the highest overall patient experience scores are recognized as Outstanding Patient Experience Award recipients.