DUARTE, Calif., July 16, 2009 — City of Hope has once again been named one of “America’s Best Hospitals” in two specialties by U.S.News & World Report. City of Hope ranked 22nd on this year’s list of top cancer hospitals and 36th on the list for urology. The institution is the second-highest ranked hospital in the Los Angeles area and one of only seven centers in California to appear on the cancer list. In urology, City of Hope is one of seven hospitals in California, and one of only four in the Los Angeles area, to be ranked.
“We are very pleased to once again be ranked among the very best centers in the country for cancer and urology,” said Michael A. Friedman, M.D., president and chief executive officer, City of Hope. “To earn this national recognition for the sixth year is a fitting honor for our entire team of dedicated physicians, research scientists, nurses and employees who demonstrate every day the highest commitment to excellence and innovation in patient care.”
City of Hope is one of only 40 institutions in the nation to be designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). To earn this elite designation, a center must undergo a rigorous peer-review process, maintain a significant base of individually funded research projects and be heavily involved in community outreach, as well as meet other academic and public service requirements.
Leading to its rankings in urology, City of Hope is home to the state’s largest prostate cancer program (according to data from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, or OSHPD). City of Hope is a recognized leader in the field of laparoscopic and robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostate surgeries. Since 2003, City of Hope physicians have performed more urologic oncology procedures than any single institution in the United States, including more robotic-assisted prostatectomies and radical cystectomies than any other center in the western U.S.
“We recognize that the most important part of our mission to cure cancer is the effect of this disease on the patient. A patient is not just his or her disease, but an individual with a range of needs to be addressed outside of the cancer itself,” said Alexandra Levine, M.D., chief medical officer, City of Hope. “City of Hope offers not only outstanding medical care, but also an inclusive approach to care that supports the patient and his or her family emotionally, psychologically and socially in all aspects of their lives.”
U.S. News’ 2009 edition of “America’s Best Hospitals” features 174 medical centers selected from 4,861 hospitals nationwide in 16 specialty areas. U.S. News based its cancer hospital rankings on several criteria that include reputation among board-certified physicians, mortality rate, patient safety, the number of Medicare patients discharged, the ratio of nurses to patients, NCI and nurse magnet hospital designations, the use of specific advanced technology, the availability of certain patient services and other factors. Urology rankings were based on similar criteria including reputation, mortality rate, Medicare patient discharges, nursing ratio, nurse magnet hospital designation, presence of an on-site trauma center, the use of advanced technology, the availability of patient services and other factors.
Complete rankings of the top hospitals are available online at www.usnews.com and will appear in the August issue of U.S. News, available on newsstands July 21.
