By Doug Bennett
University of Florida Health Shands Hospital once again has the most nationally recognized adult and pediatric specialties among Florida hospitals ranked by U.S. News & World Report. The 2022-23 Best Hospitals report released today solidifies UF Health’s position as the state’s premier destination for nationally ranked health care specialties.
The analysis of more than 4,500 adult hospitals again puts UF Health in elite company with health systems nationwide that are ranked in medical specialties. The adult hospital rankings come six weeks after UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital tied for the No. 1 pediatric hospital in Florida and earned national rankings in five pediatric specialties from U.S. News & World Report. Overall, UF Health Shands Hospital is ranked in 10 adult and pediatric medical specialties.
The five adult specialties ranked among the nation’s top 50 are orthopaedics (26th), ear, nose and throat (40th), geriatrics (45th), pulmonology and lung surgery (48th) and urology (48th).
“It is an exceptional achievement for UF Health to be recognized yet again for its expertise in a broad range of adult and pediatric medical specialties,” said David R. Nelson, M.D., senior vice president of health affairs for UF and president of UF Health. “These rankings show an unwavering commitment to excellence throughout our hospitals. That collective dedication to patients inspires all of us as we work together to transform lives, helping those we care for achieve the best possible outcomes.”
Beyond the ranked specialties, three UF Health Shands specialties were rated as “high performing,” which puts them in the top 10% of all hospitals nationally in their respective disciplines. Those are cardiology and heart surgery, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery and neurology/neurosurgery.
“Delivering exceptional health care requires an immense amount of focus by our faculty and staff. Every day, I see talented, highly trained faculty and staff doing their utmost to heal patients and improve their lives,” said Colleen G. Koch, M.D., M.S., M.B.A., dean of the UF College of Medicine. “It is tremendously fulfilling to work alongside them to carry out that mission.”
In the procedures and conditions ratings, UF Health Shands is distinguished as “high performing” in 15 categories. Those are abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, colon cancer surgery, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, heart attack, heart failure, hip fracture, hip replacement, kidney failure, knee replacement, lung cancer surgery, ovarian cancer surgery, pneumonia, prostate cancer surgery and stroke.
The orthopaedics ranking is the highest ever for the department, which has now been either nationally ranked or high performing for nine consecutive years. Orthopaedics rose in the rankings partly due to significant improvements in discharging patients to their homes rather than a rehabilitation facility. That effort and others are now producing positive benefits for patients, said Mark T. Scarborough, M.D., a professor and chair of the College of Medicine’s department of orthopaedics and sports medicine.
The department has improved its outcomes for knee replacements, hip fractures, hip replacements, Scarborough said. It did so while also enhancing access to care, boosting patient satisfaction scores and seeing more patients, he noted. As a growing department, orthopaedics now has seven divisions with expertise in many specialties.
“We have continued to build the depth and breadth of our faculty and staff. Our strong clinical care is now complemented by significant research and educational programs,” Scarborough said.
The UF Health Shands hospital rankings also build on the recent pediatric hospital ranking successes. The U.S. News 2022-23 Best Children’s Hospital rankings include a historically high national ranking for pediatric pulmonology (18th) and neurology and neurosurgery (34th). Other recognized pediatric specialties include diabetes and endocrinology (13th), cardiology and heart surgery (26th) and cancer (49th). Cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, and pulmonology and lung surgery are the highest-ranked children’s programs in Florida.
“The adult and pediatric hospital rankings validate the expertise of our physicians, faculty and staff across a broad range of medical specialties,” said Traci d’Auguste, chief operating officer of UF Health Shands. “To be consistently recognized among the nation’s top medical specialties for both children and adults is quite an honor. We’re proud to uphold our tradition of clinical excellence while maintaining a warm, caring environment for our patients.”
