Cincinnati Children's Named One of Top Five Children's Hospitals In Child Magazine's Top Children's Hospitals Survey

Cancer and Neonatal Care Named as Top Subspecialties

Thursday, January 04, 2007

CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is among the five best children's hospitals in the United States overall, and among the top five in the nation for pediatric cancer care and neonatal care, according to Child magazine's prestigious Ten Best Children's Hospital survey.

Child magazine named Cincinnati Children's the fifth best children's hospital overall in the United States, fourth in neonatal care and fifth in cancer care. Cincinnati Children's also ranked among the best in the nation for all other pediatric subspecialties that Child magazine rated. Cincinnati Children's ranked eighth in emergency care, ninth in cardiac care, ninth in orthopaedic care and 11th in pulmonary care.

 

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The Today Show recently aired a story about the Child Magazine hospital rankings. Read full story. The complete video segment can also be viewed on the MSNBC web site.

 

"We are delighted to learn that Cincinnati Children's was ranked so highly in the Child magazine survey," says James M. Anderson, president and CEO. "Our whole region can be proud and comforted that one of the best children's hospitals in the nation is located right here in Cincinnati.

"The Child magazine rankings are particularly gratifying because they are based on comparative analysis of detailed, comprehensive data," adds Anderson. "The outcome is a tribute to the intensive work Cincinnati Children's has done over the last five years to transform health care delivery. From our trustees to our frontline staff, we are all sharply focused on providing the best possible medical and quality of life outcomes and patient and family experience."

Child's Top 10 Children's Hospitals survey -- appearing in the magazine's February 2007 issue, which hits newsstands nationwide January 9 -- is perhaps the most comprehensive and scientific available, based on strict criteria and data gathered by the magazine during an extensive nine-month investigation.

The 247-question Child magazine survey, guided by leading pediatric experts, examined vital medical information, including survival rates, number of complex procedures and intricate surgeries conducted, volume of research studies, efforts to reduce medical errors, and quality and training of doctors and nurses. The survey also included child friendliness, support for families and community involvement.

"The care at Cincinnati Children's is phenomenal," says Micki Shea of Covington, whose son Allen was treated for cancer at Cincinnati Children's and is now cancer-free. "We have access to state-of-the-art treatment," she says. "Everyone at the hospital is responsive: doctors, nurses, technical people. Most of all, everyone is focused on us as a family and getting us through difficult times."

Excellence in Neonatal Care

Greater Cincinnati has the nation's only regionalized system of neonatal care -- an unprecedented collaboration that has significantly reduced neonatal mortality. Cincinnati Children's provides direct coverage for care of newborns all birthing hospitals in the region, including the regional Mercy Hospitals; St. Elizabeth in Kentucky; TriHealth hospitals, including Good Samaritan and Bethesda North; and Health Alliance hospitals, including University, Ft. Hamilton-Hughes and the Christ Hospital.

Cincinnati Children's neonatologists provide medical direction for the area's three newborn ICUs, at Cincinnati Children's, University Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital. Infants are transferred to Cincinnati Children's for subspecialty services, especially complex surgery for congenital conditions or advanced therapies.

Newborn care in Greater Cincinnati is also supported by the Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati, a collaboration among Cincinnati Children's, University Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital. The Fetal Care Center offers the only comprehensive fetal care services in the Midwest.

The Regional Center for Newborn Intensive Care at Cincinnati Children's is a leader in family-centered care and developmentally supportive care, as well as innovative quality improvement. Cincinnati Children's is also a national leader in neonatal research, with more than 20 basic, translational and clinical research studies in progress funded by more than $14 million in research grants.

Excellence in Cancer Care

The Cincinnati Children's cancer program is led by a specialized staff that is organized in multidisciplinary leukemia and cancer disease-focused teams. These teams include 18 board-certified pediatric oncologists and 92 pediatric oncology nurses. The facility offers clinical and research expertise in bone marrow transplant (BMT), with a dedicated, specialized inpatient BMT unit that has performed more than 1,000 bone marrow transplants since 1981.

Cincinnati Children's is also one of the nation's leading clinical research centers for pediatric cancer, with a dedicated, specialized inpatient oncology unit and care team. Cincinnati Children's is conducting more than 200 research studies involving more than 1,000 children. Medical center faculty lead major national cancer clinical research efforts in the Children's Oncology Group.

Cincinnati Children's is a center for Phase I anticancer therapies of the National Cancer Institute Phase I Consortium, the New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Treatment Consortium, and the Department of Defense Neurofibromatosis Consortium. The medical center has 14 open Phase I trials.

Cutting-edge clinical cancer research initiatives include innovative gene therapy and stem cell transplantation programs for high-risk brain tumors; new therapies for children with relapsed and high-risk cancers, including a nationally recognized developmental therapeutics program and a blood / marrow transplantation program; and unique comprehensive multidisciplinary care and research programs for children with Fanconi Anemia, Down syndrome and Neurofibromatosis.

Cincinnati Children's has a unique Family Support Network that addresses non-medical and psychosocial issues with specialists from child life, financial services, pastoral care, social work and school intervention.

"Cincinnati Children's exemplifies what makes a children's hospital a top 10 hospital," says Miriam Arond, editor-in-chief of Child magazine. "These qualities include excellent outcomes and an experience for patients and families that would make them want to return to the hospital for care. The Cincinnati Children's focus on improving patient safety and transforming the way care is provided makes it one of the very best pediatric institutions in the United States."

The Child magazine designation is the latest in a string of recognition during the last year for Cincinnati Children's. Cincinnati Children's was ranked eighth out of more than 250 children's hospitals in the United States by U.S. News & World Report. The hospital received the 2006 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize" and, as a member of the Greater Cincinnati Patient Safety ICU Collaborative, received the 2005 JCAHO's ninth annual Ernest Armory Codman Award. Cincinnati Children's was also one of nine pediatric institutions and 59 hospitals of any kind in the nation named to the first Leapfrog Top Hospitals list.

"The excellence of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is one of the reasons why Cincinnati is a great place to live and raise a family," Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory said. "This news confirms what parents and families in Cincinnati already know: that their children will receive the best possible care right here in our own city."

Cincinnati Children's was one of three children's hospitals in Ohio to be ranked by Child magazine. Columbus Children's Hospital was ranked sixth and Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland was ranked eighth.

Ohio is fortunate to have six outstanding children's hospitals, which make it their mission to treat any child to the best of their ability. In addition to the excellent care that children receive, the six Ohio children's hospitals are also important economic drivers for state's economy, with more than 30,000 employees statewide. These employees include highly recruited pediatricians and researchers who come to Ohio from all over the world to practice medicine and find cures for pediatric diseases. Ohio's children's hospitals are one important reason why Ohio is a desirable state to live and raise a family.

Cincinnati Children's is a 475-bed institution devoted to bringing the world the joy of healthier kids. Cincinnati Children's is dedicated to providing care that is timely, efficient, effective, family-centered, equitable and safe. For its efforts to transform the way health care is provided, Cincinnat Children's received the 2006 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize". Cincinnati Children's ranks second nationally among all pediatric centers in research grants from the National Institutes of Health and is a teaching affiliate of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The Cincinnati Children's vision is to be the leader in improving child health.