Kentucky Children's Hospital Ranked Among the Best in the Nation for Heart Care, Orthopedics by U.S News & World Report
LEXINGTON, KY. (June 14, 2022) — UK HealthCare's Kentucky Children's Hospital (KCH) is ranked nationally in two specialties in the 2022-23 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings published online today by U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice.
KCH and Cincinnati Children’s Joint Pediatric Heart Program is ranked 16th in the country in pediatric cardiology & heart surgery. This ranking also includes patients treated through the adult congenital heart program, a partnership with UK HealthCare’s Gill Heart and Vascular Institute for adult patients who were born with congenital heart defects.
The Joint Pediatric Heart Program is a one-program, two-sites model that began in 2017 to provide a full spectrum of heart care to families across Kentucky as close to home as clinically appropriate. Dr. Carl Backer, M.D., serves as the chief of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at KCH.
KCH, in association with Shriners Children's Lexington, is ranked 45th in the country for pediatric orthopedic care. While they are separate entities, they work closely together to provide seamless pediatric orthopedic care. A staff of board-certified pediatric orthopedic surgeons and anesthesiologists have cared for children at both institutions for over 35 years.
“To be recognized as one of the top children’s hospitals in the country for specialty care is a testament to the passion and dedication of our providers,” said Scottie B. Day, M.D., physician-in-chief at KCH. “Caring for Kentucky’s children is an honor, one that we share with our partners at Cincinnati Children’s and Shriners. Together, we can ensure kids can stay close to home to get the specialty care they need.”
For 2022-23, U. S. News ranked the top 50 centers in each of these 10 pediatric specialties: cancer, cardiology & heart surgery, diabetes & endocrinology, gastroenterology & gastrointestinal surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology & neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology & lung surgery and urology. For the second year, the Best Children’s Hospitals rankings featured expanded offerings that include state rankings and multistate regional rankings.
“Choosing the right hospital for a sick child is a critical decision for many parents,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “The Best Children’s Hospitals rankings spotlight hospitals that excel in specialized care.”
The Best Children's Hospitals methodology factors objective measures such as patient outcomes, including mortality and infection rates, as well as health equity and available clinical resources and compliance with best practices. To calculate the Best Children’s Hospitals rankings, U.S. News gathered relevant data from children’s hospitals in early 2022 and from pediatric physicians and other health care organizations as well as available clinical resources, compliance with best practices, and efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion among patients and staff in 2022.
RTI International, a North Carolina-based research and consulting firm, collected and analyzed data from 119 children’s hospitals and surveyed thousands of pediatric specialists. More than 100 pediatric specialists and other experts provided input through methodology working groups.
About Kentucky Children’s Hospital
Kentucky Children's Hospital, part of UK HealthCare, is committed to providing the best care possible, for children as well as families. With the region's only Level I pediatric trauma center and Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, more than 30 advanced subspecialty programs such as pediatric oncology and pediatric surgery and nationally ranked by the U.S. News and World Report in both pediatric heart care and orthopedics, KCH is equipped to provide the highest level of care to young patients, close to home.
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