Hospital for Special Surgery Named Top Orthopedic Hospital

Founded in 1863, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) has once again taken top honors in this years “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. According to a report submitted to PR Newswire, HSS was named the best orthopedic hospital in the nation. They came in third for their rheumatology department. What is so impressive about this is HHS has taken top honors above any other hopsital, for orthopedics and rheumatology, in the Northeast for the past 17 years.

The report quoted President and CEO, Louis Shapiro as saying, “Our number one position on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals list in orthopedics is not only a tremendous honor but underscores the talent and commitment of the HSS staff.” He went on to say, “The increasing number of people who choose to come to HSS was recognized as a factor for our first place ranking. It also confirms the quality of the excellent patient experience here, which we all work hard to instill each day.”

Hospital for Special Surgery has led the way in orthopedics with their approach to knee replacement. HSS has been featured in an essay on the subject. They are the leaders in this field with total knee replacement. The report stated that in 2006 more than 2,500 knee replacements had been done. This is more than any other hospital in the nation. HSS had risen to new heights with “minimally invasive knee procedures to speed recovery and reduce patients’ hospital stay.”

Each year there are more than 18,000 surgeries done at Hospital for Special Surgery. The hospital boasts many sports teams that doctors from the Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service have helped. The New York Giants, New York Knicks, New York Mets, and the Association of Tennis Professionals, to name a few. Other service centers offered by HSS include a Women’s Sports Medicine and Osteoporosis Prevention Center. There is even the Gosden-Robinson Early Arthritis Center. The report cited other centers like the Babara Volcker Center for Women and Rheumatic Disease and the Center for Skeletal Dyplasias.

Quoting Mr. Shapiro, the report said, “This recognition is not only a great achievement by our orthopedic surgery and rheumatology departments. They are also crowning achievements for all our services who work hand in glove with these departments, including but certainly not limited to physical medicine and rehabilitation, anesthesiology, radiology, nursing, and all the members of the HSS family who support these departments.

U.S. News & World Report’s does the “America’s Best Hospitals” survey each year. This survey is done to help consumers researching facilities with the highest quality care. The survey covers 16 medical specialties. More than 5,000 hospitals nationwide are included in the survey. They are ranked based on numerous things like technology services, reputation, patient volume, mortality rates and nursing care.

Some of the other honors bestowed upon this fine hospital are Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. HealthGrades’ Hospital Quality in America Study gave Hospital for Special Surgery a five-star rating, in 2006, for clinical excellence in its specialty fields.
PR Newswire reports “the hospital’s research division is internationally recognized as a leader in the investigation of musculoskeletal and autoimmune diseases.” You can find Hospital for Special Surgery online at www.hss.edu.

In a related report from the same source, Cleveland Clinic Heart Center took the number 1 spot in cardiac care for the U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Hospital” survey. Cleveland Clinic has held this honor for 13 years. Cleveland Clinic, it’s self, was ranked 4th in the nation overall.

The complete list of hospitals listed in the survey is set to be released in the July 23 issue of U.S. News and World Report. The magazine will hit the news stands July 16th. The report states that there were 5,462 hospitals surveyed. 174 made ranking in at least one specialty.

Source: PR Newswire; Hospital for Special Surgery Ranked Number One; For the 13th Year in a Row, Cleveland Clinic Heart Center is Ranked Number 1…