U.S. News ranks Mount Sinai Medical Center among America's Best Hospitals for 2011-2012

Only hospital in Miami to receive national ranking in geriatric care and high performing recognition in cardiology and cardiac surgery by U.S. News & World Report

Mount Sinai Medical Center is among the nation's top hospitals for the fifth year in a row according to U.S. News & World Report's 2011-2012 Best Hospitals. Mount Sinai was the only hospital in South Florida to receive a prestigious national ranking in geriatric care and one of only three hospitals in South Florida to rank on a national level.

In addition, Mount Sinai is one of the top two performing hospitals in Miami-Dade and the only institution in South Florida recognized as high performing in cardiology and heart surgery. The Mount Sinai Heart Institute, a partnership with New York's prestigious Columbia University, performs the most cardiac valve surgeries and has the best outcomes and survival rates in the state of Florida.

Mount Sinai also received seven other high-performing acknowledgements in the areas of cancer, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics and pulmonary.

In its 22nd annual "America's Best Hospitals" issue, U.S. News & World Report reviewed 5,000 hospitals nationwide to produce a list of leaders in 16 different medical specialties. Best Hospitals judges medical centers on their competence in complex, demanding situations, often with high-risk patients. The new metro rankings recognizes 622 hospitals in or near major cities with a record of high performance in key medical specialties, including 132 of the 152 hospitals already identified as the best in the nation.

"Being singled out as one of the highest quality facilities in the country five years in a row is a testament to the outstanding care provided by our entire team of healthcare professionals," said Steven D. Sonenreich, Mount Sinai's president and chief executive officer.  "We strive to combine knowledge, technology, and research to provide the most advanced medicine available and this illustrates that our patients truly receive a higher level of care."

The Wien Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders, a key resource in Mount Sinai's spectrum of geriatric care, has been the lead memory disorders center in the State of Florida Memory Disorders Clinic networks in its clinical and research activities. With its current annual patient load of approximately 500 new patients and 2000 follow-up patients, the Wien Center is undoubtedly the most active center, nationally, devoted to the diagnosis and care of patients with memory disorders. The Wien Center has also hosted the annual MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment) Symposium for the past nine years, which has attracted Alzheimer's researchers from all over the world to come to Miami to contribute and present their ideas. In addition, The State of Florida, Department of Elder Affairs, Alzheimer's Disease Initiative has funded a Dementia Brain Bank since 1985, which has been operated by The Wien Center since its inception.

"All of the hospitals in our list provide first-rate care for the majority of patients, even those with serious conditions or who need demanding procedures," says Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. "The new Best Hospitals metro rankings can tell you which hospitals are worth considering for most medical problems if you live in or near a major metro area."