Christ Medical Center Also Rated 3rd Overall Among Illinois Hospitals
Oak Lawn, Ill. -- Advocate Christ Medical Center has been recognized as being among the top 50 hospitals in the nation for cardiology/heart surgery, gynecology, geriatric medicine and neurology/neurosurgery, according to the “Best Hospitals 2014-15” rankings released today (July 15) by U.S. News and World Report. Just 3 percent – 144 -- of the nearly 4,800 hospitals analyzed for “Best Hospitals” achieved national ranking in even one of the 16 specialties reviewed.
This is the third consecutive year in which the medical center has earned top-50 rankings in heart and geriatric care, and the first time it has made the list in gynecology and neurology/neurosurgery, although the campus has consistently been rated a “high performer” in the latter two specialties in previous years.
The latest U.S. News “Best Hospitals” list also rates Christ Medical Center third overall among hospitals in the state of Illinois and cites its physicians and staff as being “high performers” in eight other specialties, namely cancer care; diabetes treatment and endocrinology; care of ear, nose and throat disorders; gastroenterology and GI surgery; kidney disease (nephrology); orthopedics; treatment of pulmonary disorders; and urology.
Among the measures the publication used to determine a hospital’s ranking were hospital volume, technology, patient safety, outcomes performance, nursing staff levels and reputation for delivering high quality care, as determined by a survey of board-certified physicians.
“The data tell the story – a hospital that emerges from our analysis as one of the best has much to be proud of,” said Avery Comarow, U.S. News health rankings editor. “A ‘Best Hospital’ has demonstrated its expertise in treating the most challenging patients.”
Details regarding the 2014-15 regarding the U.S. News hospital rankings are available at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals and will appear in the U.S. News “Best Hospitals 2015” guidebook, available in August.
Announcement of this recognition by U.S. News and World Report follows the medical center’s repeat selection earlier this year to Truven Health Analytics’ 2014 list of 100 Top Hospitals®. This is the third consecutive year in which Christ Medical Center has been named by Truven Health as being among the nation’s leading hospitals for performance. The medical center was one of just three major teaching hospitals in Illinois and one of 15 nationally to make the Truven list.
“We have more than 1,100 physicians and 6,000 associates working together every day to ensure our patients receive the very best in clinical quality and compassionate care. Their amazing passion for excellence and commitment to our ministry of healing have truly made a difference in the lives of the thousands of patients whom we serve every day. They are why our medical center is listed consistently among the nation’s very best teaching hospitals in health outcomes, patient safety, and overall quality,” said Ken Lukhard, president of Christ Medical Center.
U.S. News & World Report publishes “Best Hospitals” to help guide patients who need a high level of care because they face a particularly difficult surgery, a challenging condition or extra risk because of age or multiple health problems.
The specialty rankings and data were produced for U.S. News by RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. U.S. News used the same data to produce the hospital state and metro rankings.
“The path to excellence is not easy,” said William Adair, MD, vice president for clinical transformation at Advocate Christ Medical Center. “As a quaternary/tertiary-care medical center, we are constantly challenged by the volume of patients needing care and the complexity of their illnesses and injuries. However, the recognition accorded us as a leader among hospitals in the state and nation affirms that we are moving in the right direction, that our commitment to providing the very best in care as a high reliability organization is becoming an integral part of our hospital culture.”
About Advocate Christ Medical Center
Advocate Christ Medical Center is part of Advocate Health Care, which is one of the nation’s leading health care networks. A not-for-profit, 694-bed, premier teaching institution with more than 1,200 affiliated physicians, Christ Medical Center is a leader in health care and one of the major referral hospitals in the Midwest in a number of specialties, including cardiovascular services, heart, kidney and lung transplantation, neurosciences, oncology, orthopedics and women’s health. The hospital also has one of the busiest Level I trauma centers in Illinois providing emergency care for more than 100,000 patient visits annually and is a leader in breakthrough technologies, including eICU® (electronic intensive care unit) monitoring, robotic da Vinci Surgery System® and CyberKnife® Radiosurgery. For the last three years (2012-2014), the medical center has been named to the Truven Health 100 Top Hospitals® list. U.S. News & World Report has ranked the medical center among the nation’s leading providers for cardiology and heart surgery and for geriatric medicine and ranked it overall as being among the top hospitals in Illinois. The hospital is also recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as a Magnet Center. Magnet status represents the highest honor in the nursing profession. To obtain more information or to visit our newsroom, log on to: www.advocatehealth.com/christ.