Two Tampa hospitals get high marks from U.S. News

By MICHAEL A. MOHAMMED
Published July 18, 2007

TAMPA - Two Tampa hospitals had a total of seven departments place among the nation's 50 best in the U.S. News & World Report's 2007 rankings.

Four medical specialties at Tampa General Hospital - gynecology, kidney disease, urology and ear, nose and throat - made the list for the first time. A fifth, orthopedics, appeared for the third year in a row.

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute made the cancer list for the ninth consecutive year, and its ear, nose and throat department made the list for the first time.

Tampa General vice president Deana Nelson called the rankings, released Friday, a "big morale booster."

It also can affect a hospital's income, she added, because Medicare and insurance companies "are moving toward systems where they can quantify quality and pay accordingly."

TGH's gynecology and obstetrics department made a particularly big leap. Not ranked in the top 100 in 2006, it broke into this year's list at No. 25, said the department chief, Dr. James Mayer.

"It was a total surprise," he said, but said a handful of renowned experts in women's medicine raised the program's profile when they arrived at the hospital this year. A brand new women's center will add labor, examination and operating rooms next year.

Only 173 of the country's 5,462 hospitals, or about 3.2 percent, made the top 50 in any category, said Avery Comarow, who edits the rankings.

Scores depend on a program's reputation, death rate and quality of care. To determine reputation, U.S. News asks doctors to list the top five hospitals in their field.

Surprisingly, three of Tampa General's departments and one of Moffitt's made the top 50 without being mentioned by a single surveyed doctor. They compensated with strong scores in the other areas, Comarow said.

The rankings are meant to help patients with hard-to-treat conditions find the best treatment, he said.

"If whatever they needed was done commonly, it wouldn't be a problem" to find good care. "That's not who we're aiming at."

But Comarow cautioned patients not to depend solely on the ratings. When he needed an unusual heart surgery, he found the right surgeon at a hospital that didn't make the top 50 in the heart category that year, he said.

Michael A. Mohammed can be reached at mmohammed@sptimes.com or 813 226-3404.

[Last modified July 18, 2007, 06:54:37]