University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Named Tops in State by US News & World Report

By Tom Moore
Iowa Now

University of Iowa Health Care leaders announced this morning that UI Hospitals and Clinics appears again on "The Best Hospitals in America" listing compiled annually by U.S. News & World Report.

At UI Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa's only comprehensive academic medical center, six specialties are ranked overall.

• Cancer
• Ear, Nose & Throat
• Nephrology
• Neurology & Neurosurgery
• Ophthalmology
• Orthopaedics

Jean Robillard, vice president for medical affairs with UI Health Care, says, "Year after year, we are pleased to be included in such prestigious company."

UI Children’s Hospital was also previously ranked in seven specialties byU.S. News & World Report.

“This is additional confirmation that we are among the national elite in terms of patient care. We also are among the nation’s leaders in research and education, which means that have the full package here in Iowa,” says Debra Schwinn, dean of the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.

UI Hospitals and Clinics is also recognized as “high-performing” in the following specialties:

• Cardiology & Heart Surgery
• Diabetes & Endocrinology
• Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
• Geriatrics
• Gynecology
• Psychiatry
• Pulmonology
• Urology

“The key to achieving this kind of success is our people,” says Kenneth Kates, associate vice president of UI Health Care and CEO of UI Hospitals and Clinics. “Our faculty and staff provide excellent care and outstanding service to our patients, and I could not possibly be more proud of them.”

Health professionals caution that no one should make decisions about their health care based solely upon such rankings. They should consider an array of factors and consult their physicians about what is best for them as patients.

The 2013-14 health care rankings are accessible today online atwww.usnews.com/besthospitals or www.uihealthcare.org.