Nationally, Mattel Children’s Hospital was recognized for excellence in nine of the rankings’ 10 categories, including; gastroenterology 9th in the nation,
kidney disorders 6th,
diabetes and endocrinology 11th,
heart and heart surgery 16th,
orthopedics 19th,
neurology and neurosurgery 23rd,
neonatology 24th,
cancer 26th and
urology 39th.
“Most notably,” said Dr. Sherin Devaskar, the hospital’s physician-in-chief and UCLA’s assistant vice chancellor for children’s health, who holds the Mattel Executive Endowed Chair in the UCLA Department of Pediatrics, “our gastroenterology program was ranked the highest on the West Coast, our diabetes–endocrinology program ranked in the top two on the West Coast, our nephrology program was ranked the best in California, and our neurology–neurosurgery, cardiology–heart surgery, and orthopedic programs all ranked within the top three in the state of California. These rankings acknowledge our dedicated doctors, nurses and staff, who proudly deliver great care and compassion to the children and families at Mattel Children’s Hospital every day.”
Now in its fifth year, “Best Children’s Hospitals” pulls together clinical and operational data from a lengthy survey completed by the majority of the 177 hospitals asked to participate in the 2011–12 rankings. The survey asked hundreds of questions about survival rates, nurse staffing, sub-specialist availability, and many other critical issues that would be difficult or impossible for parents or others in charge of a child’s care to find on their own.
The data from the survey was combined with recommendations from pediatric specialists on the hospitals they consider best for children with challenging problems. Seventy-six hospitals were ranked in at least one specialty.
“We salute Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA,” said Avery Comarow, the health rankings editor for U.S. News. “The goal of the ‘Best Children’s Hospitals’ rankings is to call attention to pediatric centers with the expertise to help the sickest kids, and Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA is one of those centers.”
For more on the report: www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals
For more on UCLA Mattel: www.uclahealth.org/homepage_mattel.cfm?id=266
