June 28, 2023

Texas Children’s takes third in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospital rankings. We also achieved the #1 ranking in Texas and are #1 in the Southwest Region. For the seventh consecutive year, our Heart Center proves to be the best place in the country for children in need of pediatric cardiology and heart surgery care.

Our Pulmonology Division also received the #1 spot for a second consecutive year. We also have a third top-ranked specialty: Nephrology successfully moved up two spots to claim their first #1 ranking.

For the second year in a row, all Texas Children’s specialties earned a place in the top 10!

Service rankings:

  • #1 Heart
  • #1 Pulmonology
  • #1 Nephrology
  • #2 Endocrinology
  • #2 Neuroscience
  • #3 Neonatology
  • #6 Cancer
  • #7 Gastroenterology and GI surgery
  • #7 Urology
  • #8 Orthopedics

President and CEO Mark A. Wallace wrote a heartfelt tribute to team members in his announcement to the organization, “These remarkable rankings were earned solely because of you. You and the incredible talents you bring to our team make us the very best in Texas and one of the nation’s top-rated children’s and women’s hospitals. You keep me going in the toughest of times and you continue to inspire me each and every day. While our goal will always be to reach #1, no matter where we land, our ranking will never define what you mean to me.”

About U.S. News Rankings

U.S. News & World Report introduced the Best Children’s Hospitals ranking in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available. The rankings are the most comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric hospitals.

The U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospital rankings rely on clinical data from nearly 200 medical centers through a detailed survey that analyzes measures such as patient safety, infection prevention and adequacy of nurse staffing. In addition, each hospital’s score is derived from surveys of more than 15,000 pediatric specialists who are asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty. In 2021, only 89 children’s hospitals were ranked in at least one of the 10 pediatric specialties evaluated for this annual report. Ten hospitals ranked at the top of their class and were named to the 2022-2023 Honor Roll. For more information, visit usnews.com/childrenshospitals.

June 14, 2022

In yet another monumental achievement made possible through the hard work of our One Amazing Team and your commitment to every child and family we serve, Texas Children’s has earned recognition from U.S. News & World Report as the #2 children’s hospital in the country.

In addition to Texas Children’s historic rise to #2 in the overall list, the 2022-23 U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospital survey included Top 10 spots for every subspecialty:

  • #1 in Cardiology & Heart Surgery, in a testament to the cutting-edge treatments and family-centered care provided by the Heart Center for more than 60 years
  • #1 in Pulmonology
  • #2 in Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • #3 in Nephrology (kidney disorders)
  • #3 in Neonatology
  • #4 in Cancer
  • #4 in Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
  • #5 in Diabetes & Endocrinology
  • #5 in Urology
  • #8 in Orthopedics

Texas Children’s is also ranked as the #1 children’s hospital in Texas and #1 in the Southwest Region – rounding out the national honors in what President and CEO Mark A. Wallace called a “pivotal moment that reflected everything we’ve accomplished together this year.”

“These tremendous outcomes are the result of the steadfast leadership, unwavering dedication and sincere passion you have for Texas Children’s mission,” Wallace wrote in announcing the exciting news to the organization. “Our eight in-chiefs, our five executive vice presidents, our medical and administrative leaders, and our faculty and staff are without a doubt the greatest teams in our organization’s history.”

Reaching the top of the list

U.S. News & World Report introduced the Best Children’s Hospitals ranking in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available. The rankings are the most comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric hospitals.

They rely on clinical data from nearly 200 medical centers through a detailed survey that analyzes measures, such as patient safety, infection prevention and adequacy of nurse staffing. In addition, each hospital’s score is derived from surveys of more than 15,000 pediatric specialists who are asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty.

In 2021, only 89 children’s hospitals were ranked in at least one of the 10 pediatric specialties evaluated for the annual report. Ten hospitals ranked at the top of their class and were named to the 2022-2023 Honor Roll. For more information, visit usnews.com/childrenshospitals.

“Consistent collaboration, newfound discoveries and extraordinary patient care is what has brought us to where we are today. But we all know that for Texas Children’s, this is only the beginning of our bright future ahead,” Wallace said. “Let’s cherish and celebrate this moment – and then let’s gear up to climb even higher. I have no doubt that with this team, everything is possible!”

To read the full news release announcing Texas Children’s latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report, click here.

June 15, 2021

Texas Children’s is now third nationally in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospital rankings, and for the fifth consecutive year our Heart Center has been named the best place in the country for children in need of pediatric cardiology and heart surgery care.

A total of eight of Texas Children’s subspecialties are also ranked within the top five in the nation as announced by U.S. News. Texas Children’s is one of only 10 children’s hospitals across the country to achieve the Honor Roll designation, and the only hospital in the state of Texas awarded this distinction by ranking as one of America’s best in:

  • No. 1 – Cardiology & Heart Surgery
  • No. 2 – Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • No. 3 – Pulmonology
  • No. 3 – Nephrology (Kidney disorders)
  • No. 4 – Cancer
  • No. 4 – Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
  • No. 5 – Diabetes & Endocrinology
  • No. 5 – Urology
  • No. 11 – Neonatology
  • No. 11 – Orthopedics
Global leader in pediatric heart care

For more than 60 years, our integrated, multidisciplinary team at the Heart Center has combined cutting-edge technology with a compassionate and family-centered approach to care. Annually, more than 1,000 surgeries and 1,400 cardiac catheterization procedures are performed in Lester and Sue Smith Legacy Tower, the home of the Heart Center, where a team-based approach brings experts in every aspect of cardiac care to the bedside.

Heart Center cardiologists, congenital heart surgeons, cardiac anesthetists and cardiac intensivists are world-renowned leaders in the field and work together to treat some of the rarest and most complex heart cases from Houston, across Texas, the U.S. and around the world. The team strives to provide unparalleled care at every point from diagnosis through treatment and follow-up, in order to achieve the best possible care for each patient.

Texas Children’s also recently opened a first-of-its-kind dedicated facility designed by and for adults with congenital heart disease. The 27,000-square-foot space includes a 16-bed inpatient unit, outpatient clinic, cardiac rehab gym, diagnostics lab and more. Our ACH Program is accredited by the Adult Congenital Heart Association and is one of only four accredited programs in Texas. As pediatric patients with congenital heart defects transition into adulthood, members of the team advise patients on health and lifestyle choices for their adult needs, including physical challenges, exercise options and family planning.

U.S. News ranking methodology

U.S. News introduced the Best Children’s Hospitals rankings in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available. The rankings are the most comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric hospitals.

The U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals rankings rely on clinical data and on an annual survey of pediatric specialists. The rankings methodology factors in patient outcomes, such as mortality and infection rates, as well as available clinical resources and compliance with best practices. For more information, click here.

July 20, 2020

Texas Children’s Heart Center has once again been named the best place in the country for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery in the U.S. News and World Report 2020-2021 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings – the center’s fourth straight year at No. 1.

“We are incredibly proud to be named the best place in the country for children who are in need of pediatric cardiology and heart surgery,” said Chief of Pediatric Cardiology Dr. Daniel Penny. “Achieving this honor for the fourth consecutive year is a testament to our dedicated multidisciplinary team who works tirelessly to advance the field and provide the best care possible to our patients and their families. We don’t take this responsibility lightly, and these survey results only inspire us to work harder to be even better for our patients and each other every day.”

The U.S. News rankings use a well-accepted framework for evaluating quality of health care, which factors in patient outcomes, such as mortality and infection rates; available clinical resources, such as specialized clinics and programs and external accreditations; and compliance with best practices. Improved rankings demonstrate a health care organization’s commitment to not only providing high-quality care, but also to identifying gaps where improvements are needed.

This past year, the Heart Center built on the successes of previously existing programs and continued to excel in their outcomes metrics. One of those metrics was related to the center’s heart transplant survival ratio, which earned a top score for its one-year heart transplant survival ratio. The Heart Center continues as one of the busiest programs utilizing ventricular assist devices to support hearts that might need transplantation.

“Leading the field in transplantation and ventricular assist devices is important to ensure that we can provide expert care for the sickest patients,” said Dr. Christopher Caldarone, chief of Congenital Heart Surgery. “We are proud of our teams that keep us at the forefront of medical care. This comes about by maintain a culture focused on continuous improvement. We constantly measure our performance and drive for better outcomes. Quite simply, we never rest.”

Other notable initiatives include:

Public reporting of Heart Center outcomes
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is a national leader in health care transparency and accountability and publishes outcomes from congenital heart surgery programs across the country. The members of the Heart Center strongly believe that transparent reporting of outcomes after congenital heart surgery is important to insure that patients and families are well-informed with accurate information to help make informed health care decisions. The STS database publishes risk-adjusted outcomes on its public website and the Heart Center at Texas Children’s Hospital has adjusted operative mortality rates that are among the best reported.

International collaboration to monitor outcomes in the catheterization laboratory
In partnership with clinical and physician leadership, the Heart Center’s Cardiac Catheterization Labs implemented processes to submit metrics on all catheterization procedures included in the American College of Cardiology’s IMPACT Registry®. This national register collects quality-focused data on the management and outcomes of pediatric and adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients who undergo diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization procedures. The registry also allows Heart Center leadership to compare performance against a national aggregate for quality improvement initiatives.

Expertise to provide care for every patient
The Heart Center provides excellent care for patients with all types of congenital heart disease. From simple to complex problems, the Heart Center has expertise in every field. We have specialists that can provide interventions for babies before they are born and throughout infancy, childhood, and all of adulthood. The Heart Center can provide expert care for all aspects of congenital heart disease.

Continued dedication to Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program
Texas Children’s ACHD Program allows patients with congenital heart disease to receive seamless continuity of care from birth throughout adulthood. As pediatric patients with congenital heart defects transition into adulthood, the program’s multidisciplinary team of experienced congenital heart disease specialists advises them on health and lifestyle choices for their adult needs, including physical challenges, exercise options and family planning. The program offers comprehensive medical and surgical care in collaboration with colleagues at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women® and Texas Children’s Fetal Center®. The hospital’s ACHD Program is accredited by the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA) and is one of only three accredited programs in Texas.

Learn more about the Heart Center, its services, and volume and outcomes.

June 22, 2020

by President and CEO Mark Wallace

“U.S. children’s hospitals are national treasures. They offer, as they always have, the promise of a better future for kids. It’s our duty as a nation to provide the disaster relief and recovery support they need to help them through the COVID-19 crisis.”

I want to share an article from U.S. News & World Report about pediatric hospitals around the nation. It perfectly captures the heart of why children’s hospitals are so important for not only pediatric patients, but adult patients too.

Texas Children’s, and many other children’s hospitals, have played a vital role in keeping our communities safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are continuing to take bold actions in order to support and partner with our colleagues throughout the Texas Medical Center and our nation.

You know more than anyone about the compassion and expertise our teams exhibit every day, and how critical it is to ensure the future of our institutions.

I hope that after reading this, each of you take a moment to recognize that you make us a national treasure.

October 7, 2019

 

Texas Children’s Orthopedics Department jumped five spots from No. 15 to No. 10 in this year’s U.S. News and World Report survey.

The team worked quickly, relentlessly and collaboratively to achieve this ranking, a first for the Orthopedics department at Texas Children’s.

Service chief Dr. Brian Smith expressed his sentiments with the ranking, “The Orthopedics Division is thrilled and honored to be recognized as one of the top 10 Orthopaedic programs in the country. This is a tribute to our entire team of physicians, physician’s assistants, nurses and staff whose primary goal every day is to provide the best musculoskeletal care possible to our patients and families.”

But seriously, how did they move so far so fast?

Specifically, the Orthopedics Department accomplished four big wins for patients:

  • Gait Lab accreditation: Dr. Jeffery Shilt, chief surgical officer in The Woodlands, led efforts to ensure that our Gait Lab was accredited as a clinical motion laboratory. The Texas Children’s Hospital Gait Lab received this accreditation in record time after opening, providing exceptional care to patients with movement disorders.
  • Continuing education: 100 percent of nurse practitioners and physician assistants received pediatric orthopedic surgery related continuing education units. Janai’ Buxton, manager of Advanced Practice Providers in Orthopedics is proud of this dedication to education, saying, “Such education ensures our APPs are providing the very best current, evidence-based care for patients.”
  • Scoliosis outcomes: The spine surgery team implemented several changes, including a multi-disciplinary meeting, to reduce unplanned readmissions and reoperations for complex scoliosis surgery patients.
  • Gap closures: The team worked together to close out 90 percent of gaps related to the department structure.
Deserved recognition

The dedication and leadership of Dr. Larry Hollier, surgeon-in-chief, Dr. David Wesson, interim chief of Orthopedics, and Rachel Warfield, Director of Surgical Ambulatory Services, helped the team accomplish this ranking. Additional recognition goes to the many physician champions who led efforts to improve quality as well as the data team led by Ken Kocab and Debasis Dash.

The Orthopedics department sees this accomplishment as a testament to all the hard work that has been done to improve patient quality and access to care over the past several years.

September 30, 2019

To be ranked among the best children’s hospital services in the nation by U.S. News and World Report is a big deal. But when you talk to leaders within the Diabetes & Endocrinology service you get the sense that high performance is simply who they are.

“We are extremely proud of the recognition because it speaks to how hard we work,” said Curtis Yee, practice administrator of the Diabetes and Endocrinology section. “But we also recognize that we still have a lot of work left to do for our patients and families.”

This year the service ranked at No. 8.

What makes a high performing team?
Ryan Breaux, U.S. News and World Report service team lead, said the heart and soul of the program’s success is the quality infrastructure of the Diabetes Care Process Team which is comprised of approximately 150 people.

“A strong team is motivated to improve outcomes for our patients. That’s the core of our work every single day and it shines through,” Breaux said. “I also give a lot of credit to Dr. Rona Sonabend who has been instrumental in building the culture of this service.”

The Diabetes care process team includes providers, nurses, diabetes educators, dietitians, social workers, data technicians, and psychologists.

U.S. News recognized several big wins for patients and families:

  • An increase in percentage of patients with Diabetes who have LDL cholesterol less than 130, which is tied directly to the physical health of patients within the service.
  • A significant increase in patient encounters with a nutritionist, certified dietitian educator, social worker, and/or a psychologist for patients with Diabetes – a marker that captures how much emphasis is placed on the overall health and well-being of patients with diabetes
  • Increased dialated retinal or non-mydriatic camera examinations in the diabetes clinics to ensure that the eye health of patients with diabetes is regularly monitored.
  • Closed out all structural related metrics in an effort to guarantee that the service has the structural and procedural framework to keep performing at the highest level possible.