UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Among Nation's Best in Nine Specialties

By Kate Vidinsky

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital ranks among the nation’s best children’s hospitals in nine specialties and is one of the top-ranked facilities in California, according to the new 2011-2012 Best Children’s Hospitals survey conducted by the U.S. News Media Group.

This year’s survey evaluates the top 50 hospitals in 10 pediatric specialties: cancer; cardiology and heart surgery; diabetes and endocrinology; gastroenterology; neonatology; nephrology; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; pulmonology; and urology. UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital earned its highest rankings in neonatology, diabetes and endocrinology, nephrology, and gastroenterology.

“We are committed to becoming one of the world’s preeminent children’s hospitals, and this recognition is a solid foundation upon which to build,” said Mark Laret, CEO of UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. “We are excited to be in the midst of constructing a brand new, state-of-the-art children’s hospital, and we look forward to expanding our capacity to provide the very best care when it opens in 2014.”

The standings reaffirm that UCSF is one of the top four pediatric facilities in California, along with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA. UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital also is the only designated children’s hospital in the city of San Francisco.

“As San Francisco’s only children’s hospital we are proud of our team of dedicated clinicians who through research and innovation continually strive to lead the way in providing world-class quality care to children and families who seek our services,” said Kimberly Scurr, interim executive director of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

The survey methodology is based on a three-part blend of reputation, medical outcomes, and care-related indicators such as patient volume, nurse staffing, clinical support services, and other factors. Hospitals were judged on a combination of opinions from pediatric specialists about the hospitals they would recommend for the sickest children and data gathered in a lengthy survey covering a range of important medical information.

“UCSF’s clinical excellence is synchronized with the revolutionary basic and clinical research conducted by our outstanding physician-scientists who translate laboratory discoveries into effective treatments for patients,” said Donna Ferriero, MD, chair of the UCSF Department of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

The complete list of children’s hospital rankings is available online and will be published in the upcoming Best Hospitals print guide, published by U.S. News, available on newsstands on August 30.

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Pediatric Specialty Rankings:

  • Neonatology – 14
  • Diabetes & Endocrinology – 17
  • Nephrology – 17
  • Gastroenterology – 20
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery – 22
  • Cancer – 23
  • Cardiology & Heart Surgery – 27
  • Urology – 28
  • Pulmonology – 47

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital creates an environment where children and their families find compassionate care at the forefront of scientific discovery, with more than 150 experts in 50 medical specialties serving patients throughout Northern California and beyond. The hospital admits about 5,000 children each year, including 2,000 babies born in the hospital. For more information, visit www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org.