UT Southwestern Medical Center is the No. 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth – the nation's fourth-largest metro area – and ranks among the top 50 hospitals nationally in 10 specialties ranging from brain to heart care, according to U.S. News & World Report's annual Best Hospitals report released today. Six of the specialties rank in the top 25.
The recognition comes as UT Southwestern prepares to significantly expand its flagship William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital to more than 750 rooms – along with its capacity for emergency, cancer, and neurological care – near the end of 2020.
We are gratified that the high quality of care that we provide at UT Southwestern has been recognized once again by U.S. News & World Report. We are committed to providing the very best care possible to all those who come to us for help. We are able to deliver on this commitment because of the expertise and dedication of our entire health care team of physicians, nurses, and legions of others working throughout UT Southwestern in many capacities."
Daniel K. Podolsky, MD., President, UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern's 10 specialties, which ranked nationally among the top 50 out of 4,500 medical centers evaluated, are:
- Cardiology & Heart Surgery
- Neurology & Neurosurgery
- Nephrology
- Diabetes & Endocrinology
- Geriatrics
- Urology
- Cancer
- Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
- Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
- Orthopedics
Of those, cardiology & heart surgery, neurology & neurosurgery, nephrology, diabetes & endocrinology, geriatrics, and urology are among the top 25.
Additionally, UT Southwestern is rated as "high-performing" in seven specialty procedures – abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, COPD, colon cancer surgery, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, and lung cancer surgery – bringing to 17 the number of nationally recognized specialties or procedures in a single hospital.
In other institutional measures, UT Southwestern ranked No. 1 among global health care institutions in the 2020 Nature Index for its published research, UT Southwestern Medical School ranked nationally among "Best Graduate Schools," and UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and UT Southwestern School of Health Professions have nationally ranked programs.
On the clinical side, UT Southwestern's Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in North Texas and one of 51 in the nation, placing it among the top 4% of approximately 1,500 cancer centers in the United States.
UT Southwestern is designated as an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, and has one of the nation's leading epilepsy clinics – a Level 4 center, the highest possible level by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers – part of the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.
Clements University Hospital also has received recognition for its high patient-satisfaction scores, its quality and safety efforts, and its innovative design.
For example, the hospital is able to quickly convert patient and ICU wards – via specially filtered ventilation systems – to help manage infectious diseases such as COVID-19, while safely continuing its routine specialty care in other areas such as cardiovascular, GI, orthopedic, and urological care.
"The pioneering, data-driven care our dedicated physicians, nurses, and staff are able to provide throughout our health system is reflected in high levels of patient satisfaction and, most importantly, in the outcomes we are able to achieve," said John Warner, M.D., Executive Vice President for Health System Affairs.
"The 12-story, third tower expansion of Clements University Hospital, along with recent expansions of its Radiation Oncology facilities and outpatient clinical space, means our health system is ideally positioned to continue to meet Texas' burgeoning health care needs through this current crisis and beyond."
The expansion also prepares UT Southwestern, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 2 hospital in Texas, for referrals from continued growth of the Southwestern Health Resources network, a partnership with Texas Health Resources to better integrate delivery of care across North Texas.
The network encompasses three of the five top-ranked hospitals in Dallas-Fort Worth. In addition to UT Southwestern's No. 1-ranked hospital, the Southwestern Health Resources network includes Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest, ranked No. 4 in DFW; Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, ranked No. 5 in DFW; and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, ranked No. 6 in DFW.
"While the members of the UT Southwestern team are gratified by the recognition of U.S. News and others, they come to work each day motivated not by rankings but the desire to provide the best outcomes and experience for our patients and their families. "
"At the same time, UT Southwestern remains committed to medical discovery through research that will enable improved treatment and ultimately cures and prevention for people everywhere," Dr. Podolsky said
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