U.S.News & World Report Debuts First Specialty Rankings of America's Best Children's...( - 2008 Pediatric rankings include to...),Health

- 2008 Pediatric rankings include top 30 hospitals in six specialty fields

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WASHINGTON, May 30 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S.News & World Report, one of the nation's leading sources of news analysis and service journalism, today announced the 2008 edition of America's Best Children's Hospitals, published online at http://www.usnews.com/pediatrics and in the magazine's June 9 issue, on newsstands Monday, June 2.

In a further extension of the 2007 pediatric rankings that listed the top 30 pediatric centers overall (based on reputation, data, and statistics on hospital performance and quality of care), the 2008 America's Best Children's Hospitals now includes the 30-top ranked hospitals in cancer, digestive disorders, heart and heart surgery, neonatal care, neurology and neurosurgery, respiratory disorders, and general pediatrics.

"Very sick kids need very special care," said Senior Writer Avery Comarow, who has been editor of the America's Best Hospitals and America's Best Children's Hospitals annual rankings since their inception. "The best places for them are pediatric facilities with a deep pool of expertise in their particular illness. Breaking out key specialties is crucial to help parents and other caregivers find these facilities."

The specialty rankings of this year's America's Best Children's Hospitals were based on a new and improved methodology that weighed a three-part blend of reputation, outcome, and care-related measures such as nursing care, advanced technology, credentialing, and other factors. A detailed description of the methodology can be found online at http://www.usnews.com/pediatrics.

Ranking-eligible facilities were largely drawn from members of the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) in either of two categories-a
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