Rush leads all Illinois hospitals in the number of specialty categories for which it is ranked among the top in the nation, according to the July 23 issue of U.S.News & World Report magazine. Rush is ranked among the best in 11 of 16 categories included in the magazine’s annual “America’s Best Hospitals” issue.

Just 173 out of 5,462 hospitals in the United States scored high enough this year to rank in even a single specialty, according to the magazine.

In three of the specialty areas, Rush is ranked higher than any other hospital in Illinois. These include Orthopedics (#8 in the nation), Geriatrics (#17 in the nation), and Kidney Disease (#21 in the nation). 

The rankings of other Rush programs are: Neurology and Neurosurgery, #15; Urology, #26; Endocrinology, #30; Ear Nose and Throat, #32; Cancer, #33; Gynecology, #37; Gastroenterology (Digestive Disorders), #38; and Heart and Heart Surgery, #48.

“Rush continues to do great work in a broad spectrum of categories, and these rankings are representative of the quality of care provided at Rush,” said Dr. Larry J. Goodman, president and CEO, Rush University Medical Center. “Our academic medical center has earned its place among America’s best.”

According to U.S.News & World Report, the purpose of the “America’s Best Hospitals” ranking is to “help patients find the best hospital when the need is great”. According to the magazine, “selecting a hospital with a solid track record could be nothing less than lifesaving”. The magazine reports most of the ranked hospitals “are referral centers, places accustomed to seeing the toughest patients and conducting bench-to-bedside research that advances the state of the art”.

Hospitals received a score combining three equally weighted elements: reputation, death rate, and care-related factors such as nursing and advanced services. The rankings consist of the 50 highest-scoring hospitals. The 2007 rankings were produced by RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C.