The University Record, August 13, 1996
U-M Hospitals rank among the best teaching hospitals
The U-M Hospitals are among the highest-rated teaching hospitals in America according to an annual survey released last week by U.S. News & World Report magazine.
The Health System ranked 15th overall in the survey of 126 teaching hospitals, up from 16th last year.
The cancer program received the highest boost in rankings, jumping to 15th place from 40th last year. Max S. Wicha, director of the Cancer Center, says that the improved ranking is especially noteworthy because the U-M’s program is quite new in comparison to the other ranked programs.
“We’re delighted with the national recognition we’ve received since we started just eight years ago,” Wicha says. “The vast majority of other programs have been around a long time. The fact that we’ve risen so quickly is due to the outstanding faculty with clinical expertise whom we’ve recruited and our heavy investment in research.
“It’s also good news for people in the state of Michigan,” he adds. “People are getting the best opinions and best care right here. They don’t have to leave the state to get the highest level of care possible.”
The cancer program will be moving to the new Cancer and Geriatrics Centers Building in early 1997.
The rankings are determined using a formula measuring three dimensions: reputation of the department among board-certified specialists; the mortality rate, the rate of patient deaths from the date of admission to discharge; and what the magazine calls “objective indicators” that vary by specialty. These include the ratio of registered nurses to beds and the amount of high-tech equipment.
The magazine ranked Johns Hopkins as the top hospital in this year’s survey.
In addition to the cancer program, 12 other U-M specialties were singled-out for recognition (current rankings in parentheses):
Otolaryngology (4), Geriatrics (8), Rheumatology (10), Endocrinology (11), Orthopedics (11), Gastroenterology (11), Rehabilitation (12), Urology (14), Ophthalmology (15), Neurology (16), Pediatrics (23), and AIDS (37).
