U.S. News & World Report Ranks Emory Among Nation's Best Hospitals for 2010

Emory University Hospital again joins the prestigious ranks of America's top medical institutions in the annual U.S. News & World Report guide to "America's Best Hospitals." Consistently ranked as one of the nation's leading academic medical institutions, this is the 20th year Emory University Hospital has made the list.

For 2010, Emory is positioned among the nation's best hospitals in 11 specialties, including garnering five top 20 rankings. Overall, Emory is one of only 152 hospitals out of more than 4,800 medical centers in the country to be named in even one of the magazine's top 50 specialty rankings - with only Atlanta's Shepherd Center joining the national ranking from Georgia.

Besides Shepherd's rehabilitation ranking, Emory University Hospital is the only hospital in the state of Georgia to have any specialties listed among the nation's elite. These Emory specialties span the spectrum from standard ear, nose and throat disorders to the most highly specialized services in cardiology and neurosurgery. The Emory Heart & Vascular Center, consistently included among the nation's top 20 institutions, has recently claimed many significant "firsts," from the first cardiac catheterization lab in Georgia to the nation's first coronary stent, the world's first minimally invasive triple off-pump bypass surgery, and Georgia's first implantable defibrillator. Such technologies and advancements continue to position Emory as a healthcare provider of choice among Georgians and the nation, as recognized in this year's comprehensive report for excellence.

This year's rankings include:

Specialty                                                   2010 Rank

Neurology / Neurosurgery                        12

Ophthalmology                                         14

Psychiatry                                                 15

Kidney Disorders                                      16

Heart / Heart Surgery                                17

Gynecology                                               22

Geriatrics                                                   23

Urology                                                      33

Ear, Nose and Throat                                 36

Diabetes / Endocrinology                          39

Cancer                                                       41



"We make a promise and a commitment to our patients and their loved ones each and every day to provide the very best care and service in a patient and family-centered environment. These rankings are but one way we measure our progress in delivering on that promise, and help us to continually improve on our service and challenge ourselves as health care professionals," says John T. Fox, Emory Healthcare president and CEO.

"Being again recognized across the board in so many different specialties, from cancer to geriatrics, and cardiology to disorders of the kidneys, makes a tremendous statement about Emory's impact on not only healing the sick, but preventing future illness. I share my thanks, appreciation and admiration with every physician, nurse, employee, volunteer and supporter who has made this honor possible today," says Fox.

"Emory's rise in the U.S. News & World Report in cancer rankings is great news for Georgia," says Walter J. Curran, MD, executive director of the Winship Cancer Institute. "As the only NCI designated cancer center in the state, we are working hard to serve as a resource for oncologists and patients everywhere, but especially in Georgia. Our emphasis on teamwork and collaboration pays dividends in exceptional care, our ability to offer groundbreaking clinical trials, and innovative research. These rankings are an important indicator of progress, and we intend to continue improving for the benefit of our patients and their loved ones."

According to U.S. News & World Report, only 152 of the 4,852 hospitals evaluated performed well enough to rank in even one specialty this year.

To be considered in any of the 12 data-driven specialties, a hospital was required to meet at least one of four criteria: be a teaching hospital, be affiliated with a medical school, have 200 or more beds, or have at least 100 beds and at least four of eight key medical technologies available - like a PET/CT scanner, and certain targeted radiation procedures.

Next, the hospitals had to meet a volume requirement- a minimum number of Medicare inpatients from 2006 to 2008 who had certain procedures and conditions in a given specialty.

Finally, as in past years, each hospital received a U.S. News score from 0 to 100 based on four basic elements: reputation, mortality data, patient safety, and care-related factors, such as nursing and patient services. The 50 top performers were then ranked for each specialty.

This year's rankings may be found online at: www.usnews.com/besthospitals and in newsstands beginning July 27.

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Atlanta's Ranking Falls with a Breath of Fresh Air

GFP Note: Atlanta's ranking dropped from number 4 in 2008 to number 9 in 2009 as America's most challenging place to live with asthma.

St. Louis Named Top Asthma Capital

/PRNewswire/ -- St. Louis, MO, is ranked as the No.1 Asthma Capital – the most challenging place to live with asthma in the U.S.(1,a,1) – according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), which conducted the study. This ranking was determined based on an analysis and scoring of 12 factors in the 100 largest U.S. metro areas.(1,b,5) St. Louis was ranked No.1 this year in part due to worse than average scores in crude death rate due to asthma (2.2%), higher than average pollen counts over the previous year and the lack of “100-percent" public smoke-free laws, which many other large cities are enacting.(1,a,1)

St. Louis topped the study after being ninth last year (2,a,1) due to a variety of factors, including poor air quality and a rise in the percentage of uninsured residents (2,a,1). It is interesting to note, however, that the prevalence of asthma, both estimated and self-reported in this city decreased slightly over the last year.(1,a,1; 2,a,1)

In 2008, Knoxville, TN, ranked No.1 (2,b,1) but moved to the number seven spot in 2009 (1,b,1) because both the estimated and self-reported prevalence of asthma decreased, and reported pollen levels were lower than the national average, among other factors. (1,b,1) Of note, all of the top 10 Capitals scored “below average” with regard to whether these cities embraced “100-percent” public smoke-free laws.(1,d,1) The complete rankings with detailed data for each city can be found at www.asthmacapitals.com.

For six years, AAFA has scientifically researched and evaluated conditions in the largest metropolitan areas in America and ranked them based on quality of life for people with asthma in each city. The Foundation reviews 12 factors: Crude death rate (CDR-recorded metro area deaths from asthma) for asthma; the estimated prevalence of adult and pediatric asthma; risk factors, such as air pollution, pollen counts and public smoking bans; and medical factors, such as the number of asthma medications used per patient and the number of asthma specialists in the area.(1,e,5)

“For the last several years, I have seen an increase in the severity of asthma in our patients and how their life is affected by it,” (1,a,1;2,a,1) said Mario Castro, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis. “The lack of a smoke-free public environment for our patients with respiratory problems, especially asthma, (1,a,1) in St. Louis is appalling. Our return to the No. 1 Asthma Capital ranking is very concerning news for St. Louis asthma patients and physicians.”(1,a,1) Asthma, if left uncontrolled, can result in serious consequences.(3,a,1) In fact, sudden asthma episodes account for an estimated 1.8 million emergency room visits (3,b,4) and nearly 500,000 hospital admissions (3,c,4) each year in the United States.

AstraZeneca sponsored this research to better understand the environmental factors and health policies that impact people with asthma, specifically around asthma control. For the last 20 years, AstraZeneca has helped millions of people manage their respiratory conditions through discovery and development of asthma medications.

“Although St. Louis was found to be a particularly difficult place for people with asthma to live, asthma triggers are present in every American city,” says Mike Tringale, AAFA's Director of External Affairs. “There is no way for asthma patients to escape their disease,(4,a,1) but no matter where they live, patients can work with their physicians to find ways to effectively control their symptoms.” (5,a,1)

“We hope this survey ranking encourages asthma patients everywhere to talk to their doctors about how to avoid asthma triggers and about effective asthma control,” said Dr. Castro. “While asthma may not be curable, (4,a,1) it can be kept under control by following an asthma action plan that may in some cases include a controller treatment, as prescribed by a physician.” (6, a, 1;6,b,1)

Top 2009 Asthma Capitals

The top 10 Asthma Capitals for 2009, considered to be the most challenging places to live with asthma, are:
1.St. Louis, MO
2.Milwaukee, WI
3.Birmingham, AL
4.Chattanooga, TN
5.Charlotte, NC
6.Memphis, TN
7.Knoxville, TN
8.McAllen, TX
9.Atlanta, GA
10.Little Rock, AR(1,d,1)

References:
1.2009 Allergy Foundation of America Asthma Capitals study results. Available at www.asthmacapitals.com. Accessed on 1/22/09.
2.2008 Allergy Foundation of America Asthma Capitals study results. Available at www.asthmacapitals.com. Accessed on 1/22/09.
3.Centers for Disease Control. “Asthma Prevalence, Health Care Use and Mortality, 2003-2005” Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/ashtma03-05/asthma03-05.htm. Accessed 1/22/09.
4.Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. “Asthma Facts and Figures.” http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=8&sub=42. Accessed 1/22/09.
5.Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. “Asthma Overview Prevention.” http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=8&cont=9. Accessed 1/22/09.
6.National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. “How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled?” http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Asthma/Asthma_Treatments.html. Accessed 1.22.09.

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UGA Ranks First Nationally in Student Payback Ratio

The University of Georgia ranks first among national universities, both public and private, in payback ratio according to the January 2009 issue of Smart Money magazine.

"This ranking speaks first and foremost to the very high quality of education that UGA students receive. They leave here prepared for success by any measure, and I am proud of them," said UGA President Michael F. Adams. "Our low price makes us a great value, and overall in this poll, the best value in America."

Smart Money, a magazine published by the Wall Street Journal, quantified the long-term value of education by examining the relationship between tuition costs and graduates' earning power at two different stages in their lives. According to the survey, UGA graduates earn a median salary of $44,100 four years after graduation and $86,000 15 years after graduation. The median salaries were divided by the institution's tuition at the time of graduation resulting in a payback ratio. UGA's payback ratio is 338%.

Princeton, ranked first among Ivy League schools and 20th overall, has a payback ratio of 132% and Washington and Lee, ranked first among liberal arts schools and 19th overall, has a payback ratio of 145%. Washington and Lee is the highest-ranked private institution on the list.

The overall top-ten also included number two Texas A&M, followed by the University of Texas at Austin, Georgia Tech, the University of Washington, Rutgers University, the University of Illinois, Clemson University, Purdue University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Mercer Men's Basketball Ranked No. 1 Nationally in RPI

After downing Southeastern Conference opponents Alabama and Auburn in a four-day span and starting the 2008-09 campaign with an unblemished 3-0 record for the first time since 1984, the Mercer men’s basketball team has been rewarded with the top spot in CollegeRPI.com’s rankings.

The College RPI takes into account a team's winning percentage (25%), its opponents' winning percentage (50%), and the winning percentage of those opponents' opponents (25%) when ranking every team in the nation. The Bears check in ahead of every traditional Division I roundball powerhouse in the country for the first time since the inception of the Ratings Percentage Index in 1981.

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U.S. News & World Report Ranks Emory Among Nation's Top Hospitals

Emory University Hospital again joins the prestigious ranks of America's top medical institutions in the annual U.S. News & World Report guide to "America's Best Hospitals."

Emory ranked among the nation's best hospitals in eight specialties, including seven top 20 rankings -- including a Top 10 ranking for Ophthalmology. Overall, Emory is one of only 170 hospitals, out of more than 5,400 medical centers in the country to be named in even one of the magazine's top 50 specialty rankings. And its eight specialties are more than any other hospital in Georgia.

Emory is recognized in this year's comprehensive report for excellence in:

Specialty Rank
Ophthalmology 9
Geriatrics 11
Psychiatry 11
Heart and Heart Surgery 13
Neurology and Neurosurgery 13
Ear, Nose and Throat 19
Kidney Disease 20
Cancer 47

"The dedication and commitment to excellence by thousands of physicians, nurses, researchers, medical support staff and employees across the entire Emory Healthcare system is certainly validated by this report today," says John T. Fox, Emory Healthcare president and CEO. "While our mission of delivering compassionate care and scientific discovery is recognized each day by our patients, we are challenged daily by our own success to work even harder, to achieve greater outcomes, and to continue building a more patient and family-focused model of care that will maintain Emory's position as a world leader across all disciplines of medicine and clinical care."

Included in this year's ranking were cancer services. Emory is the only facility in Georgia to be ranked in the top 50 for cancer services.

"This is a reflection of the hard work and dedication put forth by everyone involved in cancer treatment, research and care at Emory University," says Brian Leyland-Jones, MD, PhD, director of Emory Winship Cancer Institute. "In addition, as we continue to work towards NCI cancer center designation we are actively recruiting extraordinary talent in basic, translational and clinical science to enhance the quality and depth of our research and to accelerate the pace of discovery."

Emory Winship is a partner in the Georgia Cancer Coalition, an innovative public/private partnership comprised of Georgia's leading hospitals, universities, biotech firms and non-profit and government agencies to help treat, prevent and save lives from cancer. Close relationships with the neighboring U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as Emory's own School of Medicine, Rollins School of Public Health and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, enhance the multidisciplinary nature of care and research at Emory Winship.

Emory Winship also was recently designated by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia as a "Blue Distinction Center for Complex and Rare Cancers," focusing on complex inpatient and surgical care. It is the only facility in the metropolitan Atlanta area to earn this designation.

The rankings in 12 of the 16 specialties weigh three elements equally: reputation, death rate, and a set of care-related factors such as nursing and patient services. In these 12 specialties, hospitals have to pass through several gates to be ranked and considered a Best Hospital:

The first gate determines whether a hospital is eligible to be ranked at all by requiring that any of three conditions be met--to be a teaching hospital, to be affiliated with a teaching hospital, or to have at least six important medical technologies from a defined list of 13.

The second gate determines whether a hospital is eligible to be ranked in a particular specialty. To be eligible, the hospital had to either have at least a specified volume in certain procedures and conditions over three years, or had to have been nominated in our yearly specialist survey.
The third gate is whether a hospital does well enough to be ranked, based on its reputation, death rate, and factors like nurse staffing and technology.

In the four other specialties--ophthalmology, psychiatry, rehabilitation, and rheumatology--ranking is based solely on reputation, derived from the three most recent physician surveys.