For the 19th consecutive year, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has earned high rankings in the U.S .News & World Report guide to “Best Hospitals in America.”

Nine specialties are ranked overall in the 2008 rankings.

Two of the honored specialties—Otolaryngology (earn, nose, and throat) and Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (eyes)—ranked second and sixth among the nation's top 10 in their respective categories.

Seven other UI Hospitals and Clinics services made the top 50 in their respective specialties:

• Orthopaedic Surgery (bones and joints): 12
• Cancer: 23
• Neurology and Neurosurgery: 25
• Gynecology: 31
• Kidney Disease: 32
• Urology: 40
• Digestive Disorders: 41

Jean Robillard, MD, University of Iowa vice president for medical affairs, said the rankings highlight the hospital’s depth and breadth of services: high quality patient care, pioneering biomedical research, and educating health care professionals.

“Many institutions excel at one or perhaps two of those missions, but few are good at all three,” Robillard said, cautioning that no one should make decisions about their health care based solely upon such rankings. That decision should be made after considering an array of factors and in consultation with the patient's physician, he said.

UI Hospitals and Clinics has been listed among the “Best Hospitals in America” every year since U.S.News & World Report began the rankings in 1990.

The 2008 health care rankings are accessible online at www.usnews.com/besthospitals.

Medical college rankings

In addition to UI Hospitals and Clinics receiving “Best Hospitals in America” rankings, seven UI Carver College of Medicine programs received high rankings in the U.S.News & World Report survey of the nation's best graduate programs for 2008. Here are the UI’s rankings compared to other public universities (first number in parentheses) and compared to all private and public universities (second number in parentheses):

• Physician assistant master's/doctorate (1/1)
• Physical therapy master's/doctorate (3/5)
• Medicine specialty-rural medicine (3/3)
• College of Medicine-primary care (7/7)
• College of Medicine-research (14/31)
• Medical Specialty-family medicine (15/18)

Innovative Care
U.S. News & World Report
"Best Hospital" rankings recognize institutions with exceptional depth and breadth of service.