U.S.News ranks Rush University Medical Center among America's Best Hospitals for 2011-12

Rush University Medical Center has once again been named one of the nation's top hospitals in the nation, according to the upcoming issue of U.S.News & World Report. Rush is ranked among the best hospitals in the country in 10 of 16 categories included in magazine's 2011-12 "America's Best Hospitals" issue, which will be on sale Tuesday, Aug. 30.

Just 140 of the approximately 5,000 hospitals in the United States — less than 3 percent — scored high enough this year to rank in at least one specialty nationally.

Rush is ranked higher than any other program in Illinois in Orthopedics at No. 8 in the nation and Geriatrics at No. 17. Rush's other ranked programs are Neurology and Neurosurgery (No. 15); Heart and Heart Surgery (No. 29); Gynecology (No. 33); Cancer (No. 40); Pulmonology (No. 45); Ear, Nose and Throat (No. 46); Urology (No. 39); Kidney Disorders (No. 47).

"Rush continues to do great work in a broad spectrum of categories, and these rankings are representative of the outstanding quality of care provided at Rush," said Dr. Larry J. Goodman, CEO, Rush University Medical Center. "Rush has earned its place among the top academic medical centers in America."

Now in its 22nd year, the "America's Best Hospitals" guide is its most extensive hospital ranking to date. According to U.S.News & World Report, the purpose of the "America's Best Hospitals" ranking is to guide patients "who need an unusually high level of hospital care."

Hospitals are judged not in routine procedures but in complex and demanding situations, often with high-risk patients, such as replacing a 90-year-old's heart valve, diagnosing and treating a spinal tumor, and dealing with inflammatory bowel disease.

Hard numbers stand behind the rankings in most specialties—death rates, patient safety, procedure volume, and other objective data. Responses to a national survey, in which physicians were asked to name hospitals they consider best in their specialty for the toughest cases, also were factored in.