HUP takes honors on 'U.S. News' list

With a mounting deficit and a series of layoffs casting a pall over the University of Pennsylvania Health System over the summer, it did get at least one piece of good news: the flagship Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania was ranked the 10th best in the nation by a high-profile ranking system. The ranking for HUP in the July 19 issue of U.S. News & World Report marked the third consecutive year that the weekly news magazine has named HUP to the "Honor Roll" in its annual America's Best Hospitals issue. But it was the first year that the hospital has made it into the top 10. HUP was also the lone representative of the Delaware Valley region included in the "Honor Roll," which lists the nation's 13 best hospitals. The top spots were once again occupied by Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, respectively. The Cleveland Clinic jumped two notches to No. 4, and Duke University Medical Center rounded out the top five. "HUP's citation -- as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation -- is a tribute to our dedicated faculty and staff and to our ongoing commitment to provide easy access to high quality care and service," Medical School Dean and Health System Chief Executive Officer William Kelley said in a statement released soon after the rankings. To make the magazine's "Honor Roll," a hospital must exhibit "unusual competence" by earning high rankings in at least six of 16 specialities used in tabulating the results. U.S. News honored HUP for its performance in 11 of those categories. HUP's highest placement came at No. 8 for its treatment of pulmonary disease. The hospital ranked ninth in otorhinolaryngology -- the ear, nose and throat specialty -- and finished 10th in the specialties of gynecology and neurology and neurosurgery. Pulmonary Medicine Professor Neil Freedman, an attending physician at HUP specializing in pulmonary medicine, said he expects his division's high ranking to "create more referrals from around the city" and "generate more business." U.S. News ranked the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia second in pediatrics for the third consecutive year, finishing again behind Boston's Children's Hospital.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.