U.S. News & World Report has ranked Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in its 2017-2018 Best Children's Hospitals rankings published online today. It is the only hospital in Orlando to be given this designation.

The hospital was ranked in five pediatric specialties:

· #21 in diabetes and endocrinology

· #34 in orthopedics

· #36 in pulmonology

· #43 in cardiology and heart surgery

· #45 in urology

U.S. News introduced the Best Children's Hospitals rankings in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available. They are the only comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric centers.

"We are pleased to learn that Arnold Palmer Hospital been ranked as a Best Children's Hospital for the eighth consecutive year," said Kathy Swanson, president of the Arnold Palmer Medical Center, which includes Arnold Palmer Hospital. "It's an honor for our team to be recognized for the high-level of care we provide for our patients every day."

The 11th annual rankings recognize the top 50 pediatric facilities across the U.S. in 10 pediatric specialties, including cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology.

The Best Children's Hospitals rankings rely on clinical data and on an annual survey of pediatric specialists. The rankings methodology considers clinical outcomes, such as mortality and infection rates, efficiency and coordination of care delivery and compliance with "best practices." Survival rates, adequacy of nurse staffing, procedure and patient volume, availability of programs for particular illnesses and conditions and much more can be viewed on http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/pediatric-rankings.

This year's rankings will be published in the U.S. News & World Report's "Best Hospitals 2018" guidebook, available on newsstands September 12.