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More 'Best Hospitals" operating in Ohio
U.S. News & World Report's annual hospital rankings include 17 Ohio hospitals

Columbus, Ohio | July 9, 2004 – For the second straight year, Ohio is home to the most top-ranked hospitals in the nation. In U.S. News & World Report’s recently published “America’s Best Hospitals” list, 17 Ohio hospitals are ranked among the top 177 hospitals in a variety of specialties, including cancer, cardiology, and pediatrics.

Of the 17 Ohio hospitals, The Cleveland Clinic made the most impressive showing, ranking fourth overall. In addition, Cleveland Clinic’s Heart Center again was named the nation’s No. 1 cardiac care center—a distinction it has held for a decade. The new survey also ranks 16 Cleveland Clinic specialty care areas among the nation’s best, with 10 of those areas ranked among the top 10 in the United States.

Dr. Joe Hahn, chairman of CCF Innovations, The Cleveland Clinic’s commercialization arm, believes the Clinic's research efforts promote and sustain their excellence in clinical activity. “We have as part of our mission statement that we will create therapies for the patients we take care of,” he said. “This culture of patient-focused innovation translates to excellent clinical activity, which is what allows us to continue ranking at the highest levels.”

Other Ohio hospitals faring well across the board included University Hospitals of Cleveland, with 13 specialty care areas ranked in the top 50, and The Ohio State University Medical Center, with 9 top 50 specialty areas. Summa Health System in Akron and Cincinnati’s Christ Hospital each placed 6 specialty care centers in the top 50.

According to U.S. News & World Report, 2 of America’s top 10 pediatric hospitals are in Ohio—Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital (Cleveland). Ohio also is home to 4 of the top 50 cancer centers, 6 of the top 50 heart centers, 5 top 50 neurology centers, and 13 top 50 sites for respiratory care.

While Ohio residents benefit from convenient access to highly-rated hospitals, Ohio’s push to become a bioscience destination also will benefit from this proliferation of excellence. As a natural byproduct of its acclaimed clinical network, Ohio is among the top eight states in hosting clinical trials for new drugs and devices. Since there is a great deal to learn during clinical trials, more bioscience and medical device companies may look to establish clinical research locations or affiliations in Ohio.

“Medical researchers at the laboratory bench are becoming more interested in information obtained at the patient’s bedside during clinical testing of their idea,” said Tony Dennis, president of Omeris, Ohio’s bioscience industry association. This bench-to-bedside information exchange is often called translational medicine, as it expedites the “translation” of research into new drugs and treatments.

“Top-flight clinicians and researchers and emerging bioscience companies need to consider Ohio if they want to be surrounded by the best in health care,” Dennis added.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the standards for ranking in “Best Hospitals” are rigorous. Of all 6,012 U.S. medical centers (military and veterans’ hospitals are not included), only 177 were of sufficient quality to be ranked in even a single specialty this year. Last year, 20 Ohio hospitals were ranked among a total of 203 hospitals.

Among other states, California also has 17 hospitals in the “Best Hospitals” list, followed by Pennsylvania with 16, and New York and Massachusetts with 12 each.

Omeris is a non-profit organization supported by the Thomas Edison Program of the Ohio Department of Development. Its mission is to accelerate bioscience discovery, innovation and commercialization of global value, driving economic growth, and improving quality of life in Ohio. Omeris is headquartered in Columbus, with regional business development affiliates in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Athens.