While Olympic athletes with ties to the UA were winning awards in Beijing, the campus’ own University Medical Center was getting the job done on the home front.
The UMC was ranked in the U.S. News and World Report’s list of top 50 hospitals in the United States in five of the 16 categories the magazine surveyed. The UMC is the primary teaching hospital for the colleges of nursing, pharmacy, and medicine, and was included in the ranking for its medical specialties in: Heart and Heart Surgery; Respiratory Disorders; Geriatrics; Kidney Disease; and Ear, Nose, and Throat.
“”University Medical Center receives this recognition because of the people who strive every day to make a difference: the physicians, scientists, the nurses, the entire staff. UMC is honored by their dedication and their expertise,”” said Greg Pivirotto, UMC president and CEO.
The rankings weigh three elements equally: reputation, death rate, and a series of care-related factors, such as nursing and patient services. “”The UMC has been ranked in the report annually for several years in various categories,”” said UMC spokesperson Katie Riley.
“”We all think it’s a nice confirmation that we’re doing the right thing,”” Riley said. “”And it reflects well on the colleges of nursing, pharmacy and medicine. We couldn’t do it without them. We’re the state’s leading teaching hospital, and that’s what makes us great.””
The U.S. News and World Report was not the only list the UMC appeared on. Thomson Reuters, an information company headquartered in New York, New York, named the UMC as one of the top 100 hospitals in the nation with the fastest, most consistent improvement over the past five years, in a study released August 14th that surveyed over 2,800 hospitals. Thomson Reuters also awarded the UMC their Top 100 Hospitals National Benchmarks for Success Award in March, making the UMC one of only 16 hospitals to have earned both awards.
“”It is a tribute to our board, our doctors, and our staff,”” Pivirotto said. “”We will be the first to admit that we are not perfect, but it is nice to know that many of our efforts and innovations over the past few years are making a difference.””
The UMC’s summer accolades went even further, however, as they were listed – along with Tucson’s University Physicians Hospital – among the Top 100 Best Value Hospitals in the nation, in a survey by Data Advantage, a national healthcare information company. The survey was released June 24th and analyzed over 1,500 hospitals in America’s 100 largest cities. The University Physicians Hospital was also included on Data Advantage’s list of 100 Best Kept Secrets.
“”This is yet another testament to the great care provided at UPH Hospital,”” said Norm Botsford, CEO of University Physicians Hospital. “”It’s thanks to the dedicated physicians and staff working each day to make this a top-notch, quality facility.””
UMC opened in 1971 and operates the only level one trauma center in southern Arizona. Its next major addition will be the Diamond Children’s Medical Center, currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2010.
