U.S. News & World Report has ranked Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in five pediatric specialties in its new 2018-19 Best Children’s Hospitals report.
Dr. Richard Azizkhan, Children’s President & CEO, says the rankings represent a new watershed for Children’s.
It’s something Azizkhan says he has been working on closely with physicians and staff.
One of his goals is to increase the visibility of the institution and he is working on this in a variety of ways. Azizkhan says some of these include recruiting outstanding individuals in various disciplines and enhancing services in the community for children with a range of complicated medical problems.
He says though Children’s has been ranked before, in cardiac services, this is the first year they have been ranked in more than one area.
"We are also ranked in orthopedics, endocrinology, gastroenterology and GI surgery and pulmonology. It really shows our commitment to providing the highest quality of sub-specialty care for all children and their families that we serve.”
Azizkhan says the ultimate goal is to rank in all 10 areas. He says the new partnerships Children’s is developing with UNMC and the Nebraska Med Center will help with those efforts.
He explains the three are working collaboratively to organize how pediatric care is delivered across the organizations as integrated entities.
He says this should drive future rankings higher as these services are offered under a common management arrangement.
Ultimately, Azizkhan is excited about that future and how Children’s can help improve the quality of and access to care for children with complicated problems.