CINCINNATI – For the first time in its history, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is the top-ranked pediatric hospital in the United States.
What You Need To Know
- Cincinnati Children’s earned the top spot on this year’s rankings for the top pediatric hospital in the United States
- The medical center finished No. 1 in four specialties and made the top 3 in four others
- Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus was the only other Ohio hospital on the list
The ranking comes from U.S. News and World Report. The team of evaluators reviewed clinical data to identify the hospitals that provide the highest quality care for children with the most serious or complicated medical conditions. Some of the datasets they analyzed include patient outcomes, infection prevention, adequacy of nurse staffing, and patient safety.
Cincinnati Children’s, which is a regular top-five finisher in these rankings, landed at No. 1 for the first time this year. The hospital finished third in 2022, and its previous high ranking was second.
Boston’s Children’s Hospital garnered the top spot in last year’s rankings. It finished second this go-around.
The rest of this year’s top five in order is: Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus is the only other Ohio hospital in the top 10 this year. It finished sixth overall.
To celebrate Cincinnati Children’s successes, the city and partner organizations are lighting up area landmarks, including the Duke Energy Convention Center, with the hospital’s brand colors. That will take place between June 21-28.
“We are incredibly proud and honored to be recognized as the best pediatric hospital in the nation,” Steve Davis, MD, president and CEO of Cincinnati Children’s, said in a statement.
“This distinction only confirms what we have always known—that we have outstanding, talented team members who are unmatched in their dedication to ensuring that all children have access to exceptional care,” he continued. “Our people are — and have always been — innovators, teachers, collaborators and compassionate caregivers, and they lead the way in helping kids achieve their full potential.”
Cincinnati Children’s dominated this year’s rankings, finishing no lower than third in eight of the 10 ranked pediatric specialty categories. It came in first in four areas: cancer care, diabetes and endocrinology, neonatology and urology.
The hospital also merited a pair of second-place finishes: gastroenterology and GI surgery, and pulmonology and lung surgery. It earned the No. 3 spot in both nephrology and orthopedics.
U.S. News and World Report ranked Cincinnati Children’s fourth in neurology and neurosurgery and gave them the No. 7 position in cardiology and heart surgery. The medical center’s Joint Pediatric and Congenital Heart Program is a collaboration with Kentucky Children’s Hospital, part of UK HealthCare in Lexington.
The 2023-2024 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings are the result of data collected through a mix of clinical surveys. A key component of the rankings is the results received from more than 15,000 pediatric specialists around the country. The survey from RTI International, a North Carolina-based research and consulting firm, asked them where they’d send the sickest children in their specialty area.
This year’s survey featured more than 200 hospitals and medical centers. Only 89 of them finished among the 10 pediatric in one of the specialties.
Established in 1883, Cincinnati Children’s is a nonprofit academic health system. Nearly one-third of the more than 18,000 employees are engaged in research. It’s also one of the top recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health.
The hospital has been at the forefront of discovering new treatments to better care for its patients facing rare and life-threatening conditions from around the globe.
For instance, Cincinnati Children’s is pioneering the reinvention of radiation for cancer treatments. That includes conducting the world’s first clinical trial of FLASH proton therapy. Medical professionals view FLASH radiation, which can be administered in a fraction of a second, as having the potential to decrease side effects and increase cures, per a statement from the hospital.
A major area of research focus at the hospital is childhood diabetes. The Endocrinology Team has also led efforts to reduce the risk of developing diabetes following total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation (TPIAT). The pain management procedure for children with acute and chronic pancreatitis. Only a few institutions in the U.S. can perform it.
The medical center’s urology division is home to the world’s first multidisciplinary center dedicated to optimizing the health and quality of life for children born with Posterior Urethral Valves (PUV). The hospital also houses the region’s only level IV Neonatal intensive-care unit (NICU) in the region. That team handles the most complex conditions among newborns and takes care of the sickest and smallest premature infants.
Cincinnati Children’s received recognition from Fortune earlier this year as one of America’s Most Innovative Companies in the United States. It’s the highest-ranked children’s hospital on that list as well.
