Cook Children’s named to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals list

This year marks the first time Cook Children’s has been named to the U.S. News & World Report’s list of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals and ranked as No. 25 for Heart & Heart Surgery and No. 29 for Respiratory Disorders specialty areas.

Since 1990, U.S. News & World Report has compiled a list of best hospitals in the United States. Beginning in 2007, the publication separated pediatric hospitals and specialties from adult hospitals in its rankings, which acknowledges the unique services and care necessary for successful pediatric care.

Given the prestige of this accomplishment, Cook Children’s leaders are justifiably proud. “All of us in the Pulmonary Department, Cystic Fibrosis Center, Transitional Care Unit, and Sleep Program at Cook Children’s are very honored and pleased to be recognized for the care we give our patients. We love our work, and appreciate the trust of our patients, their parents, and our referring physicians,” responds Nancy N. Dambro, M.D., medical director of Pediatric Pulmonary.

Acknowledging the role of his team with patients, Vincent Tam, M.D., medical director of Cardiothoracic Surgery, says, “We are very proud of our cardiovascular surgery team whose members continue to strive to provide the best possible care. Nevertheless, we hope to continue to improve not only our outcomes but the entire experience for our patient families.”

With equal appreciation of this recognition, Deborah Schutte, M.D., medical director of Cardiology, seconds Dr. Tam’s comments and underscores the importance of teamwork to achieve success. “While we strive daily to provide the best patient-centered care for our children and their families, we will continue to work closely with our cardiovascular surgical team to offer an integrated and cutting edge approach to our patients.”

The rankings for children’s hospitals and pediatric specialty areas are based upon a new set of criteria: survey of Pediatric Hospitals, a survey of a defined collection of children’s hospitals, and nominations of hospitals from board certified pediatric specialists. From these criteria, Cook Children’s takes it deserved place as a recognized leader in pediatric healthcare.