UW Hospital and Clinics: Named best hospital in the state by US News and World Report

CONTACT: Toni Morrissey
(608) 263-3223

(608) 576-6456

tmorrissey@uwhealth.org

MADISON- For the third year in a row, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics has been named the best hospital in Wisconsin. The hospital is among the nation’s top 50 hospitals in nine medical specialties and has been ranked in the top 50 since U.S. News & World Report started ranking hospitals in 1990.

The rankings are part of the 2014-2015 edition of the Best Hospitals guide by US News &World Report. The rankings are based on 16 specialties at nearly 5000 hospitals around the country. The guide helps patients who need an especially high level of care.

UW Hospital and Clinics is nationally ranked in the following specialties:

Ear, Nose and Throat (27)

Neurology and Neurosurgery (36)

Cancer (43)

Orthopedics (41)

Geriatrics (32)

Pulmonology (31)

Gynecology (27)

Urology (19)

Nephrology (16)

The magazine also named UW a “high-performing hospital” in cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology and gastroenterology and GI surgery. High-performing hospitals must be in the top 25 percent within a given specialty.

“Our physicians and staff take great pride in UW Hospital as Wisconsin’s top hospital for three years in a row,” said hospital president and CEO Donna Katen-Bahensky. “It reflects our commitment to patient- and family-centered care, a commitment that affects everything we do.”

Twelve of the 16 categories ranked are assessed based on a combination of data on patient safety, survival, staffing and a survey taken by physicians. In four categories (psychiatry, ophthalmology, rheumatology and rehabilitation), only a reputational score is used.

UW Hospital and Clinics, with 592 beds, is part of the UW Health system, which also includes American Family Children’s Hospital, the UW Medical Foundation (physicians’ group), the Carbone Cancer Center and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. The hospital is a major employer in Dane County and a Level One trauma center for adults and children.