For the 18th consecutive year, U.S.News & World Report has listed Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas (Baylor Dallas) in its "America's Best Hospitals" issue.
Baylor Dallas is ranked among the nation's top 50 hospitals in gastroenterology (43rd), kidney disorders (39th) and urology (47th). Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation (Baylor Rehab) is ranked 18th among the nation's top rehabilitation facilities. The Baylor hospitals are two of 152 medical centers nationwide that are recognized in the 2010 - 2011 "America's Best Hospitals" guide, which will be on newsstands July 27 and online at www.usnews.com/besthospitals.
Baylor Rehab is being recognized in the Rehabilitation category for the 14thtime.
"For nearly two decades, U.S.News has recognized Baylor for the quality of care provided by the dedicated physicians and employees on our staff," says Irving Prengler, M.D., vice president of medical affairs at Baylor Dallas. "Patients can be confident that they will receive safe, compassionate, quality care each time they come to Baylor."
Now in its 21st year, the multi-platform 2010-11 America's Best Hospitals guide is the most extensive hospital ranking to-date. It includes rankings of 152 medical centers nationwide in 16 specialties--with data available online for another 1,740 unranked hospitals. The 16 ranked specialties are cancer; diabetes & endocrine disorders; digestive disorders; ear, nose, and throat; geriatric care; gynecology; heart and heart surgery; kidney disorders; neurology and neurosurgery; ophthalmology; orthopedics; psychiatry; rehabilitation; respiratory disorders; rheumatology; and urology.
The rankings in 12 of the 16 specialties were driven by hard data such as death rates, procedure volume, and balance of nurses and patients. In the four remaining specialties--ophthalmology, psychiatry, rehabilitation, and rheumatology--hospitals were ranked on reputation alone.
To be considered in any of the 12 data-driven specialties, a hospital first had to meet at least one of four criteria: Be a teaching hospital, or affiliated with a medical school; have at least 200 beds; have 100 or more beds and the availability of four or more types of medical technology considered important in a high-quality medical facility, such as a PET/CT scanner and certain precision radiation therapies.
Next, the hospitals had to meet a volume requirement, individually calculated for each specialty. The required volume was the number of Medicare inpatients from 2006 to 2008 who had various specified procedures and conditions in the specialty. A hospital that fell short could still qualify if it had been nominated by at least one physician in any of the U.S. News Best Hospitals reputational surveys conducted in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
Baylor employs more than 20,000, making it the third largest private-sector employer in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. More than 4,500 physicians comprise the current medical staff. For fiscal year 2009, Baylor recorded $3.9 billion in total assets and $452.4 million community benefit.
Known for its quality initiatives, Baylor became the first health care system in the State of Texas to receive the National Quality Healthcare Award from the National Quality Forum. Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas has been named in US News & World Report's "Best Hospitals" guide for 18 consecutive years and has the highest patient satisfaction ratings of any teaching hospital in the country according to Consumer Reports.
About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com