Children’s Hospital Tops in Orthopaedics, Neurology & Neurosurgery
URMC’s reputation for excellence in care for Child Neurology and Pediatric Neurosurgery brings children and families from across the country for the treatment of Tourette syndrome, movement and neurodegenerative disorders and epilepsy. Its Pediatric Orthopaedic division has expanded exponentially to meet demand for its highly specialized care of scoliosis and spinal and ribcage deformities.
“We are delighted that Golisano Children's Hospital has – again – been recognized nationally for the expert care we are known for regionally,” said Nina F. Schor, M.D., Ph.D., chair of URMC’s Department of Pediatrics and pediatrician-in-chief of Golisano Children’s Hospital. “We are able to provide this top-notch care because of the collaboration among the Departments of Pediatrics, Orthopaedics, Neurology and Neurosurgery, the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the Ronald McDonald House and the community.”
Golisano Children's Hospital is a hospital within a hospital at URMC. The hospital serves more than 70,000 children from the 17-county Finger Lakes Region and beyond every year – both as inpatients and outpatients. It houses 124 beds and 34 pediatric specialties and subspecialties, including Pediatric Orthopaedics, Child Neurology and Pediatric Neurosurgery.
The Child Neurology division saw almost 6,000 patients in the hospital and in clinics in 2009, most of which come from across the region, but some come from other countries to see the hospital's experts in Tourette syndrome and Batten Disease.
“The University of Rochester Medical Center has a long history of achievements in Child Neurology and has become a destination for families searching for the best possible care for their children,” said Steven A. Goldman, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at URMC. “Our chief of pediatric neurology, Dr. Jonathan Mink, is one of the finest pediatric neurologists in the country, and the premier expert in the U.S. on pediatric movement disorders; he has built a division that has become a magnet for families nation-wide.”
Pediatric Neurosurgery has been a steadily growing program at URMC, using state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging, neuronavigational and neurophysiology monitoring technologies to provide the best care possible. In 2009, the division performed 138 pediatric neurosurgeries, 23 of which were for brain tumors.
Howard Silberstein, M.D., who was recruited in 1999, has presided over a significant growth in pediatric neurosurgical procedures in the Golisano Children’s Hospital; and along with David Korones, M.D., a pediatric oncologist, has developed a leading pediatric brain tumor treatment program, said Webster H. Pilcher, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of Neurosurgery at URMC.
“We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality neurosurgical care to our region’s children so parents don’t have to leave the area to find the best possible care,” Pilcher added.
URMC is home to one of the largest, most comprehensive orthopaedic practices in the region. More than three dozen board-certified or board-qualified doctors cover every subspecialty of orthopaedics, from spine and sports medicine, to foot and ankle to joint replacement. Each year, faculty provide care to more than 160,000 patients, making the orthopaedic clinic one of the nation’s busiest.
“Being selected as a top pediatric orthopaedic hospital for the second year in a row is a tribute to the leadership of Dr. James Sanders as chief of Pediatric Orthopaedics. His recruitment three years ago represented an important collaboration that included the Medical Center, the Department of Orthopaedics, the Department of Pediatrics and the community to make the Rochester area a leading center for pediatric musculoskeletal health in the United States,” said Regis J. O'Keefe, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the URMC’s Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation. “The pediatric orthopaedic team has enhanced musculoskeletal health for children throughout the region. We are extremely excited about this recognition of their outstanding care.”
Sanders, a nationally recognized expert in pediatric orthopaedic disorders and spinal deformity, including scoliosis, expanded an already exemplary pediatric orthopaedic team, including Gary Tebor, M.D., and Paul Rubery, M.D.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings were published online at www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals today and will be published in the August print issue of U.S.News & World Report, which will be available to subscribers as soon as July 15 and on newsstands starting July 27. The 2010 America's Best Children's Hospitals is the most extensive listing of its kind, ranking pediatric hospitals in 10 specialties, including orthopaedics.
The methodology behind this year’s rankings weighed a three-part blend of reputation, outcome, and care-related measures such as nursing care, advanced technology, credentialing and other factors. The hospitals were judged based on a combination of opinions from pediatric specialists about the hospitals they would recommend for the sickest children and data gathered in a survey covering important medical information ranging from surgical death rates to whether pediatric anesthesiologists and other subspecialists are on the staff. A detailed description of the methodology can be found at www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals.