KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The University of Kansas Hospital has been ranked 35th in the nation for heart and heart surgery in the new U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Hospitals” issue. It is the highest ranked heart program in the area and the highest ranking of any area hospital in any specialty areas ranked by the magazine.
“For the second consecutive year, our remarkably low mortality rate led to this national recognition.This is truly a tribute to the physicians, nurses and other health professionals on the heart team. But, it is more than that. It is a tribute to everyone involved in the operation of the hospital. It takes an entire hospital focused on the highest quality patient care to achieve these kinds of results in any program,” said Bob Page, president and chief executive officer of The University of Kansas Hospital.
Page said the risk adjusted mortality rate in the rankings is 0.61 for Medicare patients for 2004 through 2006. (A rate of 1.00 represents an expected mortality rate given the severity of the patients; lower than 1.00 represents the mortality rate was lower than expected.) The University of Kansas Hospital mortality rate ranked 4th best of all the hospitals on the top 50 Hospital list for Heart and Heart Surgery.
Page noted overall mortality rates and quality of patient care led the hospital to be ranked fifth in overall quality and safety among academic medical centers nationally by the University HealthSystem Consortium.
“Our commitment to quality extends to every program in the hospital,” said Page.
The University of Kansas Hospital is the region's premier academic medical center, providing a full range of care. The hospital is affiliated with the University of Kansas Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health, and their various leading edge research projects. The constantly growing facility contains 555 staffed beds and serves more than 21,000 inpatients annually. The cancer program is based in the region’s largest outpatient cancer facility, the University of Kansas Hospital Cancer Center and Medical Pavilion, located in Westwood, Kansas, 1 ½ miles from the main hospital. The hospital has received Magnet nursing designation, reflecting the quality of care throughout the hospital, an honor awarded to only 3.5 percent of the hospitals nationwide. The hospital also houses the region's only burn center and the area's only nationally accredited Level I Trauma Center.