Vanderbilt nationally ranked in medical specialties; 12 other Tennessee hospitals 'high performing'

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is one of the top hospitals nationally in five specialties, and it and a dozen other Tennessee hospitals are "high performing" in several areas, according to a report released.

Vanderbilt ranked No. 9 in the nation for nephrology; No. 18 for urology; No. 20 for ear, nose and throat; No. 35 for cardiology and heart surgery; and No. 38 for pulmonology and lung surgery by U.S. News and World Report's 2019-2020 Best Hospitals Rankings.

The annual report evaluates around 4,500 hospitals around the country. Of those, 165 were nationally ranked in at least one specialty. The report also ranks the top 20 hospitals overall, nationally, with Mayo Clinic in the No. 1 spot, followed by No. 2 Massachusetts General Hospital and No. 3 Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Among specialties, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ranked No. 1 for cancer, Ohio-based Cleveland Clinic No. 1 in cardiology and heart surgery, and New York's Hospital for Special Surgery No. 1 in orthopedics.

Hospitals that are not nationally ranked but scored high enough in a specialty to put them in the top 10% are designated "high performing" in the report. In at least one specialty, 1,447 hospitals were high performing, including 13 in Tennessee:

    Vanderbilt in cancer; gastroenterology and GI surgery; geriatrics; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; rheumatology; abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; aortic valve surgery; heart bypass surgery; heart failure; colon cancer; chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder; hip replacement; knee replacement; and lung cancer.

    CHI Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga in abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; heart bypass; heart failure; colon cancer; COPD; hip replacement; knee replacement; and lung cancer.

    University of Tennessee Medical Center in nephrology; abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; heart failure; colon cancer; COPD; hip replacement; knee replacement; and lung cancer.

    St. Thomas West Hospital in Nashville in abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; aortic valve surgery; heart bypass; heart failure; COPD; hip replacement; and knee replacement.

    Methodist Hospitals of Memphis in heart failure; colon cancer; COPD; hip replacement; knee replacement; and lung cancer.

    St. Thomas Midtown Hospital in Nashville in heart failure; COPD; hip replacement; knee replacement; and lung cancer.

    TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville in heart failure; COPD; hip replacement; knee replacement; and lung cancer.

    Bristol Regional Medical Center in heart failure; colon cancer; COPD; and knee replacement.

    Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport in abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; heart failure; COPD; and knee replacement.

    Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville in heart failure; COPD; and knee replacement.

    Baptist Memorial Hospital of Memphis in heart failure; colon cancer; COPD; and hip replacement.

    Maury Regional Hospital in Columbia in color cancer; hip replacement; and knee replacement.

    St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro in heart failure; COPD; and knee replacement.

In 12 of the 16 specialty areas, ranking is determined mostly by data: cancer; cardiology and heart surgery; diabetes and endocrinology; ear, nose and throat; gastroenterology and GI surgery; geriatrics; gynecology; nephrology; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; pulmonology and lung surgery; and urology. In the remaining four specialties (ophthalmology, psychiatry, rehabilitation and rheumatology), ranking is determined entirely by expert opinion, based on responses from three years of surveys of physician specialists.

Hospitals are ranked regionally also. Regional needs can make a difference in hospitals' performance. For example, Tennessee, where about a quarter of the adult population smokes, has one of the highest rates of COPD in the nation, so it's not surprising to see 13 hospitals designated high performing in that specialty.

But the list can be a tool to help patients choose a high performing hospital in the specialty they need.

"U.S. News estimates that nearly 2 million hospital inpatients a year face the prospect of surgery or special care that poses either unusual technical challenges or significantly heightened risk of death or harm because of age, physical condition or existing conditions," the report said. "The rankings are a tool that can help such patients find sources of especially skilled inpatient care."

To be included in the report, hospitals must be a teaching hospital, be affiliated with a medical school, have at least 200 beds set up and staffed or have at least 100 beds and offer at least four out of eight advanced technologies associated with high-quality care, such as a PET/CT scanner and certain precision radiation therapies. This year, 2,241 hospitals were.

Source: Knoxville News Sentinel, by Kristi L. Nelson

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Published August 2, 2019