Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is among the nation''s best hospitals in 10 of 16 specialties, according to rankings to be published in the issue of U.S. News & World Report that will reach newsstands Monday, July 12.
The magazine''s tenth annual "America''s Best Hospitals" guide lists the top 50 hospitals in each of 16 specialties. The list includes a total of 188 hospitals that scored high enough to be ranked. Most of those listed are "major medical centers ... that provide comprehensive, state-of-the-art care," the magazine said in announcing the rankings.
This year, six Medical Center specialties were ranked in the top 40. Two Medical Center specialties appeared for the first time in the "Best Hospitals" guide – digestive tract (gastroenterology) and respiratory disorders.
The specialties in which the Medical Center was ranked, and the rankings, are cardiology and heart surgery (20th), neurology and neurosurgery (19th), geriatrics (32nd), gynecology (41st), orthopedics (40th), cancer (49th), rheumatology (38th), ear, nose and throat (otolaryngology) (29th), digestive tract (46th), and respiratory disorders (47th).
For most of the specialties, hospitals were scored in three equal components – reputation among board-certified specialists, mortality (death rate), and other medical information such as technology and nursing care.
"We''re delighted and flattered of the recognition afforded," said W. Frederick McGuirt, Sr., M.D., professor and chair of otolaryngology. "It reflects highly of our academic productivity and our clinical skills."
Richard B. Weinberg, M.D., professor and section head of gastroenterology said, "This recognition ... reflects our section''s growing strengths in basic research in molecular genetics,
clinical research in human nutrition, innovative new approaches to diagnosis and patient care, and leadership in national organizations."
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Contact: Jim Steele or Mark Wright, (336) 716-4587