NEW ORLEANS – Ochsner Hospital for Children has been ranked among the top 50 children’s hospitals in the country for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery specialties in the new 2017-18 U.S. News and World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. Ochsner Hospital for Children is the only hospital in Louisiana and Mississippi to be recognized and offers one of the largest pediatric cardiology programs from Houston, Texas to Atlanta, Georgia.
The 11th annual U.S. News and World Report rankings recognize the top 50 pediatric facilities across the U.S. in 10 pediatric specialties, including cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology.
“Ochsner’s national ranking shows that we have world class healthcare for pediatric subspecialties, not only in New Orleans but across Louisiana and the Gulf South,” said Warner Thomas, president and CEO, Ochsner Health System. “We are proud of the work and commitment our physicians and staff accomplish on a daily basis so that we can fulfill our mission to change and save lives of our patients.”
“The pediatric centers we rank in Best Children’s Hospitals deliver exceptionally high-quality care and deserve to be recognized for their commitment,” said U.S. News and World Report Health Rankings editor Avery Comarow. “Children with life-threatening illnesses or rare conditions need the state-of-the-art services and expertise these hospitals provide every day.”
Ochsner Hospital for Children, with its main facility located in New Orleans, recently opened a 12-bed Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) to expand their critical cardiac services. The CVICU offers Level 1 care – the highest level available – to patients ranging from newborn to 18 years of age. Ochsner Hospital for Children also offers pediatric cardiology subspecialties in Slidell, Covington, Raceland, Houma, Monroe, Opelousas, Alexandria and southern Mississippi.
“We provide a level of pediatric cardiac care that is unmatched along the Gulf South,” said Dr. Benjamin Peeler, Congenital Cardiac and Thoracic Cardiovascular pediatric surgeon, Ochsner Hospital for Children. “This is made possible by our ability to expand our capabilities, provide high quality care and enhance our programs while keeping patients and families close to home.”
“We are fortunate to have a passionate, highly talented team, led by gifted pediatric cardiologists, nurses and internationally renowned congenital heart surgeons, who provide advanced care for the most complex cases,” said Dr. William Lennarz, system chair of Pediatrics, Ochsner Hospital for Children. “By offering a subset of highly specialized expertise within pediatric cardiology, we can offer top-notch care for our tiniest patients.”
The U.S. News and World Report Best Children’s Hospitals rankings rely on clinical data such as clinical outcomes, including mortality and infection rates, efficiency and coordination of care delivery, and compliance with “best practices.” Objective measures such as survival rates, adequacy of nurse staffing, procedure and patient volume, availability of programs for particular illnesses and conditions, and other data help determine the rankings.
U.S. News and World Report publishes Best Children’s Hospitals rankings to help families of children with rare, complex or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available. The rankings are available at Best Children’s Hospitals and will appear in the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals 2018” guidebook, available on Sept. 12.
Ochsner Hospital for Children cares for patients from around the world with everything from rare brain tumors and leukemia to heart conditions. They are the only pediatric heart and liver transplant program in the state, serving over 76,000 children across Louisiana every year with more than 120 physicians specializing in more than 30 pediatric specialties and sub-specialties.
