Rehab Institute

U.S. News Again Names BHRI as One of Top Hospitals Nationwide

After being named last year to U.S. News and World Report magazine's prestigious list of the best hospitals in the country, BAPTIST HEALTH Rehabilitation Institute made a repeat visit to the list this year and moved up in the rankings.

BHRI was ranked No. 36 on this year's list of the best hospitals in the nation specializing in rheumatology, which is up from last year's ranking of No. 43. The rheumatology category is for hospitals that specialize in treating muscle and joint problems.

"Being ranked for the first time last year underscores our efforts to be the top rehabilitation hospital in the state and confirmed that what we do here is equal to that of the top hospitals in the nation," said Greg Crain, vice president of patient services at BHRI.

"Now to not only make the list for a second year, but to move up seven places and make the top 40, it really shows the kind of quality work the employees here perform. They are the reason we have such an outstanding reputation for patient care," Crain said.

The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota was again listed as the top hospital this year specializing in rheumatology, followed by Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, the Cleveland Clinic, and UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

One of the reasons the U.S. News' annual report of best hospitals is a highly prestigious honor is because of the methodology used to rank hospitals for the list. Hospitals are not able to apply to make the list or lobby for ranking. Technology, mortality, and reputation among physicians are important factors in the judging.

In each of the rankings of specialties, board-certified physicians were selected at random out of the American Medical Association's Masterfile of more than 800,000 and were mailed a survey form, according to U.S. News. The physicians were asked to list up to five hospitals they believed to be tops in their specialty without considering cost or location. Physicians used in the survey must rank the hospital three consecutive years before it is eligible to be considered.

U.S. News said that the hospitals that made the lists tended to adhere more closely to advanced treatment guidelines, incorporate new findings into patient care, and conduct research that gives desperately ill patients additional options.

"The caregivers here are responsible for the many incredible patient success stories," Crain said. "This is truly a place where miracles happen. Being ranked by U.S. News is a high honor that affirms the caregivers and physicians at BHRI continue to do their jobs extremely well."