Thursday, July 16, 2009
By the Way / Hargrove Clinical Dept. of Less-than-awesome: Vandy Hospital 16th in nation according to U.S. News and World Report
Posted by Brantley Hargrove on Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 3:50 PM
No, this is a ranking based on how well a hospital handles "complex and demanding situations." Vanderbilt was evaluated based on specialist treatment like ear, nose and throat medicine, neurology, rehabilitation, respiratory disorders and 12 others. The criteria were death rate, reputation, patient safety and "care-related factors such as nursing and patient services." Johns Hopkins Hospital was at the top (and has been since 1991).
There were 174 hospitals that were ranked for excelling in one or more specialties. Of those, 21 made the "Honor Roll" for excelling in at least six specialties. Vanderbilt made that Honor Roll, which is awesome, except for the part where we're toward the bottom of the list. Who knows how reliable any of these studies are? But a large part of the equation is based on perception -- the perceptions of 10,000 physicians across the country.
Should we have expected more from the Jewel of the South? Wait, is it the Jewel of the South?
Comments (11)
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That's some feat, bitching about a top-20 national ranking, damning with faint praise the thousands of people who work hard every day to save and improve lives. Way to go.
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I thought the answer to all ear, nose, and throat issues was penicillin. I'm homogeneously unqualified to practice medicine in any capacity.
Perhaps lowered expectations were in order, Jamie? I thought we would have at least made the Top 10.
Don't worry, jamiealex, it has been almost reliably reported elsewhere that Hargrove has mostly stopped beating his wife.
What a bizarre way to report such an accomplishment. Vanderbilt, and Nashville, should be proud.
Problem is, former CEO Harry Jacobson placed more emphasis on creating more and more (and more) specialty clinics, not beefing up the capabilities of the specialties the Top 10 hospitals excel in practicing. The hospital has relied on too much "new" and not enough "improved".
Research however, continues to grow. They have been gaining ground based the amount received in federal research grants from the National Institutes of Health. Nothing to sneeze at I might add.
I don't know, Hargrove, just making the Honor Roll is really good. Those are all big name hospitals. A decade ago you could have argued that Vandy was the #3 hospital in the city for heart care.
Sure, a top ten or top five would be great, but 16th out of 5,000 hospitals? I find that pretty damned impressive.
After taking these rankings w/the same grain of salt that any magazine's institutional rankings get, I must say that I think faint praise for Vandy is curious particularly when St. Thomas-Baptist did not even make the list.
Not only did St. Thomas fail to show, but they failed to show in the top 50 in "Hearts & Heart Surgery," which is one area they claim to be superior to Vandy in. Vandy's rank in hearts? 17th. What kind of praise is St. Thomas due for not showing?
BTW, my wife just had cancer surgery this year at Vandy. We're glad to see that they are ranked 13th in cancer treatment.
