(Madera, Calif.) - For the fifth consecutive year, Valley Children’s is recognized as one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals in the country, nationally ranked in seven pediatric specialties. This is the highest number of rankings Valley Children’s has ever received.
U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, released its “2020-2021 Best Children’s Hospitals” list today, ranking Valley Children’s in the following pediatric specialties:
“Our performance in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings, recognized in more service lines year over year, is most significant for what they mean to the patients we are privileged to serve,” says Valley Children’s President and CEO Todd Suntrapak. “This is a recognition of our ability to provide the highest quality and safest patient care in the country. It is also a tribute to every single person who comes to work at Valley Children’s every single day, their commitment to providing the best care for kids and a testament to the values at the heart of our organization – excellence, compassionate care, innovation, continuous improvement, safety and quality.”
“Even in the midst of a pandemic, children have healthcare needs ranging from routine vaccinations to life-saving surgery,” says Ben Harder, managing editor and chief of health analysis at U.S. News. “The Best Children’s Hospitals rankings are designed to help parents find quality medical care for a sick child and inform families’ conversations with pediatricians.”
This year, two of Valley Children’s teams received their first-ever rankings: Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery and Pediatric Pulmonology. The Neuroscience Center – comprised of neurology, neurosurgery, neuro-testing and neuro-oncology – has the only Level 4 epilepsy center in the region, with the tools and talent needed to help more and more children lead seizure-free lives. The Pulmonology team is nationally recognized as a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation accredited center and has received national accolades for its work with asthma treatment, as well.
U.S. News introduced the Best Children’s Hospitals rankings in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available. The rankings are the most comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric hospitals. The rankings rely on clinical data and on an annual survey of pediatric specialists, with methodology factoring in patient outcomes, such as mortality and infection rates, as well as available resources and compliance with best practices.
“To go from one recognized service line to seven in just five years is a measure of how we’re doing, compared to the best children’s hospitals in the country – and we’re doing exceptional work,” says Dr. David Christensen, Valley Children’s senior vice president, medical affairs and chief physician executive. “However, these rankings reflect more than the exceptional care in these seven pediatric specialties. They are the culmination of Valley Children’s entire team of physicians and staff and their commitment to the idea that when we walk through the doors of any Valley Children’s building in our network and in locations across this region, we know that kids will be counting on us. And it is for them we are honored to be nationally recognized.”