New National Survey Ranks Packard Children’s as Bay Area’s Top Children’s Hospital

Only Bay Area children’s hospital with specialty programs ranked in U.S. News Media Group’s top 10; Eight programs rank in nation’s top 25

For Release: May 10, 2011

PALO ALTO, Calif. — In the new U.S. News Media Group’s 2011-12 Best Children’s Hospitals survey, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford has again been ranked as one of the nation’s best and also the highest-ranked children’s hospital in the Bay Area.

The 311-bed hospital, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2011, “has become one of the nation’s leading hospitals in a very short time,” said Christopher G. Dawes, president and chief executive officer at Packard Children’s. “Everyone on our staff shares in this honor.”

In the survey online today (17) at www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals, U.S. News places three of the hospital’s specialties in the nation’s top 10: cardiology/heart surgery (#5); neonatology (#6); and nephrology (#7). These rankings made Packard Children’s the only Bay Area children’s hospital with programs in the nation’s top 10. Additionally, the cardiology/heart surgery and neonatology programs were the highest-ranked on the West Coast.

In addition to the three top-10 honors, other Packard specialties recognized include gastroenterology, pulmonology, diabetes/endocrinology, cancer, urology, neurology/neurosurgery, and orthopedics. In all, the hospital placed eight programs in the nation’s top 25.

“This distinction is a wonderful salute to our entire faculty and staff,” added Dawes. “They’re pioneers in pediatric and obstetric medicine, and it’s through their passion and innovation that we’ve built one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals.”

The U.S. News Media Group honor adds to a significant list of recent highlights for Packard Children’s, including:

• The discovery of a simple, inexpensive blood test to help doctors halt organ rejection before it impairs transplanted hearts and kidneys.
  
• The launch of an industry-leading program for placental disorders, providing streamlined, multidisciplinary care for women with especially high-risk pregnancies.
  
• Leadership in the development and publication of the first standard-of-care guidelines for congenital muscular dystrophy.
  
• Research showing that family therapy for the treatment of anorexia is twice as effective as individual therapy.
  
• The awarding of $12.7 million National Institutes of Health grant to study childhood obesity prevention and treatment. 

Now in its fifth year, Best Children’s Hospitals pulls together clinical and operational data from a lengthy survey, completed by the majority of the 177 hospitals asked to participate for the 2011-12 rankings. The survey asks hundreds of questions about survival rates, nurse staffing, subspecialist availability, and more. The data from the survey is combined with recommendations from pediatric specialists on the hospitals they consider best for children with challenging problems.
For the full rankings and methodology, visit www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals.