The U.S. News & World Report recently released its 2010-2011 rankings of the best hospitals in the United States. Although its core business is the delivery of mainstream news, the U.S. News & World Report is best known for its annual rankings of best colleges, graduate schools, and hospitals. Given the success of these rankings, they have extended them to include anything-and-everything under the sun, such as best insurance plans, nursing homes, mutual funds, high schools, vacations, and places to retire.

There were 152 hospitals included in the 2010-2011 rankings of best hospitals, but the Honor Roll of elite institutions is slimmer this year at 14 hospitals, compared to the 21 listed last year. Topping the list for the twentieth consecutive year is the Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, Maryland). The hospital has 5 adult specialties ranked as the top in the nation, including Otorhinolaryngology (Ear, Nose, and Throat) , Gynecology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Rheumatology, and Urology. Ten other specialties were listed among the top five in the nation. According to a national survey of hospitals, 82% of patients discharged from the Johns Hopkins Hospital would definitely recommend the hospital to family and friends. Comparatively, the state and national averages are 64% and 68%, respectively.

Another outstanding contender for the past 21 years that the Honor Roll has existed has been the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota). The Mayo Clinic has excelled with Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, and Nephrology as top-ranked specialties. As for the remaining hospitals on the Honor Roll, there have been some shifts since last year. The Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts) swapped with the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles, California) to take the #3 spot in exchange for the #5 spot. The Barnes-Jewish Hospital (St. Louis, Missouri) exchanged places with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Similarly, Duke University Medical Center (Durham, North Carolina) edged Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts).

Drum roll for the top fourteen …

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With the national push toward electronic medical records, there have been active efforts to upgrade clinical data and systems software. At some institutions, an effect of this transition is the migration from the traditional voice dictation systems or paper clinic notes to a typed electronic record.

A recent study at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine sought to evaluate the overall quality of electronic discharge summaries (EDS) compared to their traditional dictated counterparts. The measure for quality was based on a 100-point visual analogue scale rating the satisfaction of primary care physicians (PCPs) who receive the discharge summaries. Other endpoints studied included the satisfaction of house officers using either system (again, using a 100-point visual analogue scale), adverse outcomes after discharge (combined emergency department visits, readmissions, and death), and patient understanding of the discharge details.

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Although the core business of the U.S News & World Report franchise is the delivery of mainstream news, it is best known for annual rankings of the best colleges, graduate schools, and hospitals. Like clockwork every July, the magazine just released today its rankings for the best hospitals in the United States.

The overall ranking is based on the sum of points assigned to a hospital’s top-tier specialty services. A hospital gets 2 points for each specialty ranked “at or close to the top” when compared to its peer hospitals. They receive 1 point for each specialty that is ranked lower.

Topping the list this year, and for the nineteenth consecutive time, is the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. The hospital has 3 specialties ranked as the top in the nation, including Urology, Rheumatology, and Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose, and Throat). It also has 10 other specialties within the top-three rank. Its closest rival, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, also has 3 first-ranked specialties, including Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, and Neurology/Neurosurgery. The remaining few contenders on the list may have at most one or two top-ranked specialties. The Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, which has now taken the third spot since 2007, and the title “Best in West [Coast]” for the 20th consecutive year, leads the nation in geriatric care. The top 7 institutions on the list has not changed since last year.

Drum roll for the top twenty-one (#10 and #11, #17 and #18 below are tied) …

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