C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital has been ranked by Parents Magazine as one of the best children’s hospitals in the country for 2008.
On the list of the top 30, Mott ranked 18th and topped the list of children’s hospitals in the state of Michigan.
The ranking was based on a 250-question survey completed by more than 100 hospitals. The survey asked hospitals about their survival rates, quantity of complex procedures, research studies, staff qualifications and safeguards to prevent medical errors.
“Ranking 18th out of all the children’s hospitals in the country is very exciting,” said Patricia Warner, associate hospital director of children’s and women’s services at the University of Michigan Health System. “To me, this is a wonderful external recognition of the tremendous work that’s done here by our faculty and staff.”
The hospital dropped five spots from when it ranked 13th in 2006. Katie Vloet, spokeswoman for the University of Michigan Health System, said most of the hospitals that were ranked have very close scores.
“There tends to be some up and down movement in the rankings from year to year due to slight changes in methodology, how many hospitals respond to the survey and the year-to-year fluctuations that all hospitals experience in areas such as the number of medical procedures performed, survival rates and other statistics,” Vloet said in an e-mail interview.
The magazine used a point system to evaluate the questionnaires. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia earned the most points and the No. 1 ranking. The Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit was also on the list at No.25.
Mott’s high ranking from Parent’s Magazine comes on the heels of several other rankings that praised the hospital.
In May, U.S. News and World Report ranked Mott highly in seven pediatric specialty areas including cancer, neurology and digestive disorders. And according to Mott’s website, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Mott was among the first in the world to offer temporary heart and lung assistance therapy.
While Mott was recognized for being among the best children’s hospitals, it is continuing to grow by adding a new 1.1 million-square-foot Children’s and Women’s Hospital. The facility will include nine stories for clinic space and 12 stories for inpatient care. The hospital is expected to open in fall 2012.
Mott is part of the University’s broader health system and Warner said the new facility is one way to expand capacity for adult services in addition to services for children.
The total cost for the project is $754 million, $75 million of which the hospital committed to raise from donations. Thus far, $51 million has been raised.
“We are looking forward to having new facilities where we can continue to improve patient care for children,” Warner said. “I think the fact that we are ranked as highly as we are demonstrates the important resource our children’s program provides to children in the state of Michigan and all over the world.”