[Ang]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2012/0...64590147732.txt

IU Health named to magazine's Best Hospital's 'honor roll'

Staff Reports

Published: Tuesday, July 17, 2012 5:58 PM CDT

LA PORTE — IU Health was named to "U.S. News & World Report's" honor roll today when the magazine released its 23rd annual Best Hospitals rankings. The honor roll title is the top distinction reserved for the best medical centers across the country.

Indiana University Health La Porte and Starke hospitals are part of the IU Health system.

"These hospitals are the kinds of medical centers that should be on your list when you need the best care," said U.S. News Health Rankings Editor, Avery Comarow. "They are where other hospitals send the toughest cases."

IU Health was named No. 16 on the "U.S. News" Best Hospitals Honor Roll and 11 clinical programs, including cancer, cardiology, neurosurgery and orthopedics, were cited among the top specialty programs in the United States.

IU Health has appeared on U.S. News Best Hospitals list before, earning a spot for 15 consecutive years. This is, however, the first time ever an Indiana healthcare system has appeared on the U.S. News Honor Roll. IU Health joins nationally renowned medical institutions including Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Mayo Clinic, UCLA Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, among others.

"We are honored and humbled to be part of a system that is held in such high esteem by our national medical peers," said G. Thor Thordarson, CEO, IU Health La Porte and Starke hospitals. "This is a big day for the 26,000 IU Health employees across the state, not to mention our own colleagues here locally, that contribute to our success, day in and day out. We are proud to be part of a team offering the people of Indiana nationally recognized care in their own backyard, and particularly in such a rapidly changing healthcare environment."

People are more empowered than ever to find a hospital worthy of their care - yet it can be confusing when bombarded with advertisements and competing claims about which hospitals are the best.

"That's where objective rankings such as U.S. News, which accounts for clinical expertise in complex cases and successful outcomes, can truly help people identify the top ranking specialists to treat their condition," said Dr. Richard Graffis, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, IU Health.

"We appreciate these rankings because they affect our ability to recruit the most skilled physicians, employ the best staff, pioneer leading research efforts and provide the latest and most innovative treatment - all in our mission to care for the people of Indiana and beyond."

U.S. News and World Report also ranked IU Health No. 1 in Indiana. The 11 clinical areas in which IU Health was ranked includes (with placement):

• Urology - 8th

• Pulmonology - 11th

• Gastroenterology - 11th

• Geriatrics - 13th

• Diabetes and Endocrinology - 18th

• Nephrology - 20th

• Neurology and Neurosurgery - 23rd

• Cardiology and Heart Surgery - 31st

• Cancer - 32nd

• Ear, Nose and Throat - 35th

• Orthopedics - 44th

• Gynecology - "High Performing"

U.S. News surveyed nearly 10,000 specialists and examined data for almost 5,000 hospitals. The complete rankings and methodology are available at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals.

[Southsider2k12]

It is nice to see them get some recognition, but my experiences with them were no where near worthy of those sort of rankings. I never want to deal with them again.

[Ang]

I thought they were pretty good myself. Much better than St. A's.

My dad died last September from stroke. Dr. Murphy was amazing and when he talked to us, he spoke layman's terms, not a bunch of medical mumbo jumbo. If no one was in the room when he came to visit, he'd have the nurses track one of us down to give an update, or we could call him on the phone and he'd actually speak with us, or meet us later. The nursing staff was amazing as well. They were very supportive and accomodating. My family and I were extremely pleased with the level of care my dad received while he was there.

However, when my Grandma was in St. A's last spring, it was an entirely different story. The doc popped in occasionally and if no family was there at the time, he didn't bother to check in with us to let us know her progress--and I couldn't tell you his name. The nursing staff were friendly and polite, but not gentle (Grandma is 91). They basically gave her up for dead. We ended up moving her to Elkhart, she recovered and is back at home. My family and I were not pleased with the level of care she received at St. Anthony.

[MCRogers1974]

I thought they were pretty good myself. Much better than St. A's.

My dad died last September from stroke. Dr. Murphy was amazing and when he talked to us, he spoke layman's terms, not a bunch of medical mumbo jumbo. If no one was in the room when he came to visit, he'd have the nurses track one of us down to give an update, or we could call him on the phone and he'd actually speak with us, or meet us later. The nursing staff was amazing as well. They were very supportive and accomodating. My family and I were extremely pleased with the level of care my dad received while he was there.

However, when my Grandma was in St. A's last spring, it was an entirely different story. The doc popped in occasionally and if no family was there at the time, he didn't bother to check in with us to let us know her progress--and I couldn't tell you his name. The nursing staff were friendly and polite, but not gentle (Grandma is 91). They basically gave her up for dead. We ended up moving her to Elkhart, she recovered and is back at home. My family and I were not pleased with the level of care she received at St. Anthony.

I have heard both good things and bad things about both facilities. Both of my kids were born at LPH and we had good experiences. However, our friends could not believe we would ever set foot into LPH. I guess it all depends on your perspective.