Texas Children’s maintains no. 4 U.S. News ranking among best children’s hospitals

June 9, 2015

U.S.News and World Report released its 2015-2016 Best Children’s Hospitals list today, and Texas Children’s Hospital maintained the no. 4 spot among the 184 children’s hospitals surveyed by the publication. Also, Texas Children’s once again is listed on the Honor Roll, which recognizes hospitals with top 10 rankings in at least three specialties.

“We are thrilled that U.S.News continually recognizes our hospital as one of the best children’s hospitals in the country,” said Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace. “These rankings reflect what we all already know, that the trajectory of Texas Children’s is incredible. In our relatively short 60 year history we have achieved amazing feats. Through the commitment and enthusiasm our staff and employees display each and every day for our mission, we have become, and will continue to be, one of the preeminent resources for health and hope to all children and their families.”

U.S. News surveyed 184 pediatric centers to obtain clinical data in 10 specialties and asked 150 pediatric specialists in each specialty where they would send the sickest children. This year, specialty certified physicians were able to participate in Doximity in addition to the sampling of 150 specialty certified physicians.

These rankings are the result of a methodology that weighs a combination of outcome and care-related measures such as nursing care, advanced technology, credentialing, outcomes, best practices, infection prevention, and reputation, among other factors.

There were 83 hospitals that ranked in at least one specialty, and 12 hospitals were named to the honor roll, listed below:

Ranking Hospital Points Specialties in top 10
1 Boston Children’s Hospital 20 10
2 Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 19 10
3 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center 15 10
4 Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston 12 6*
5 Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora 7 6
6 Seattle Children’s Hospital 7 5
7 Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 6 5
8 Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC 6 4
9 Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio 5 5
10 Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, D.C. 5 3
11 Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago 3 3
11 Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta 3 3

The 12 children’s hospitals on the 2015-16 Honor Roll ranked at or near the top in three or more specialties. The order is by total points. A hospital that ranked among the highest 5 percent in a specialty received 2 points; a hospital that ranked in the next 5 percent got 1 point. Ties were broken by the number of specialties in which points were earned.

Texas Children’s, working closely with academic partner Baylor College of Medicine, continues to pioneer advancements in pediatric healthcare and earns the U.S.News honor roll distinction by being ranked among America’s best in:

  • #2 Cardiology & heart surgery
  • #2 Neurology & neurosurgery
  • #2 Pulmonology
  • #3 Urology
  • #4 Cancer
  • #4 Nephrology (kidney disorders)
  • #10 Diabetes & endocrinology
  • #11 Gastroenterology (digestive disorders)
  • #26 Neonatology
  • #26 Orthopedics

This year’s ranking demonstrates some significant gains among several Texas Children’s services. Here are a few highlights:

  • 7 services scored in the top 10*
  • 6 services were ranked among the top 5
  • 3 of the services among the top 5 now rank no. 2 in the nation
  • 7 of the 10 services maintained or increased their rank from 2014 (4 increased, 3 maintained)

* Note: Texas Children’s has services in the top 10 list in 7 categories. And of those, 6 are among the top 10 percent of all hospitals ranked.

“While we’re very proud of this achievement, we are never satisfied,” Wallace said. “We will continue to push ourselves and drive for even better results. Because ultimately, it’s not about a numerical ranking – it’s about delivering the best possible care and service to the patients and families who entrust us with their lives.”

The 2015-16 edition of Best Children’s Hospitals is available online at usnews.com/childrenshospitals.