Tuesday, July 20, 2004 | 9:33 a.m.
Clark County's University Medical Center has been named one of the 50 best hospitals in the nation for neurology and neurosurgery by the magazine U.S. News & World Report.
UMC, the only Nevada hospital recognized in the magazine's rankings, was listed as the 47th best for neurology and neurosurgery -- a medical specialty focusing on ailments such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, brain and spinal cord injuries, and recovery from strokes. The Clark County Commission is expected to recognize the achievement during their meeting today.
"This is exceptional news for the residents of Southern Nevada," UMC CEO Lacy Thomas said in a prepared statement. "One of the country's best hospitals is right here in Las Vegas. There's no need to go out of state for exceptional neurological care."
UMC spokeswoman Cheryl Persinger said the ranking "brings some credibility to the hospital and backs up that there's quality care here."
"It's good news," said Dr. Charles Bernick, a University of Nevada School of Medicine neurology professor who also sees patients at UMC. "The community should be proud that the services provided by UMC have been recognized nationally."
Dr. John Fildes, medical director at UMC's trauma center, said the ranking confirms what hospital officials have already known about the quality of neurology and neurosurgery at UMC, which includes treatment of head and spinal cord injuries at the trauma center.
Making any of the magazine's top lists put UMC in relatively small company. Of the 6,012 medical centers in the country, only 177, or fewer than 1 in 30, made it onto any of the rankings, a magazine statement said.
The rankings, published in the July 12 edition of the magazine, were based on several factors including reputation, death rate, nurse-to-patient ratio, and technology. UMC's status as a teaching hospital was also considered.
On the neurology and neurosurgery list, UMC placed just below Hamot Medical Center in Erie, Pa., and one spot above Thunderbird Samaritan Medical Center in Glendale, Ariz.
Topping the list were the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., at No. 1, followed by Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and then Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Some Western hospitals that made the list included the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, which ranked fifth; UCLA Medical Center at eighth; and St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix was ranked ninth.
UMC's national recognition comes as neighbor Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center launches the Nevada Neurosciences Institute at Sunrise. Doctors and hospital officials have said the institute will give patients a central place to contact with questions and to go to for treatment. The institute is also expected to increase research opportunities and make collaboration and consultation among the doctors easier.
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