St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is ranked as the No. 1 pediatric cancer hospital on U.S. News & World Report’s 28th Annual “Best Hospitals” list. The publication compared nearly 5,000 medical centers nationwide in 25 specialties, procedures and conditions.
"We are honored to know that U.S. News & World Report recognizes our commitment to integrating unsurpassed clinical care and innovative research to find cures and save children with cancer,” said James R. Downing, M.D., St. Jude president and chief executive officer. "This recognition is an outstanding external acknowledgment for our institution, but more importantly for the dedicated St. Jude faculty and staff who devote their time, talent and energy to the patients we care for every day."
This year’s rankings were based on objective measures including clinical outcomes, patient volume, infection control, adequacy of nurse staffing, efficiency and coordination of care delivery, and compliance with best practices. Hospitals’ pediatric cancer scores were based on various measures of clinical care, with 85 percent of each hospital’s score coming from data collected through a detailed U.S. News clinical survey of children’s hospitals and the remaining percent reflecting nominations from pediatric specialists and subspecialists who responded to surveys and recommended the hospital for serious cases in their specialty.
St. Jude earned an overall score of 100 out of 100 possible, and earned excellent ratings for five-year cancer survival, ability to prevent infections throughout the hospital and in the ICU, number of patients and new patients, number of surgeries, nurse staffing, bone marrow transplant services, advanced clinical services and clinical support services offered, availability of specialized clinics and programs available, availability of fulltime subspecialists, reputation with physicians in the specialty, commitment to best practices and quality improvement, adoption of health information technology, commitment to clinical research, help for families, enlisting families in structuring care, and providing advanced palliative care.
St. Jude is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Care Center devoted solely to children, having received the NCI’s highest ranking of “exceptional.” The hospital has top survival rates for some of the most aggressive childhood cancers, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia and medulloblastoma. St. Jude creates more cancer clinical trials than any other children’s hospital in the U.S., and unlike most hospitals, no family receives a bill from St. Jude for anything, including treatment, travel, housing and food.
"Recognition as the No. 1 hospital for children with cancer is a testament especially to our clinical staff, who won’t stop their lifesaving research and care until no child dies from cancer,” said Ellis Neufeld, M.D., Ph.D., St. Jude clinical director, physician-in-chief and executive vice president. “As we work to set the standard for pediatric cancer care, recognition such as this reaffirms that our focus and efforts are in the right place. St. Jude is truly unique.”
In addition, St. Jude has received designated Magnet status by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Magnet status is the highest honor granted to nursing services, and only 7 percent of all U.S. hospitals have achieved this recognition.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. To learn more, visit stjude.org or follow St. Jude on social media at @stjuderesearch.