BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Failure to complete a hospital survey may have cost University Hospital its traditional ranking on the list of "America's Best Hospitals."
For the first time in several years, University Hospital missed the list, compiled annually by U.S. News & World Report. The list's editor said the hospital wasn't eligible because it didn't complete an annual American Hospital Association Survey, which helps provide the institution's score.
Omission from the list is a marketing blow to the medical center because it competes for out-of-town patients against centers such as Cleveland Clinic, Ohio State University Medical Center and University Hospitals of Cleveland, all of which were ranked on the magazine's list. In fact, Cleveland Clinic was named the nation's sixth-best hospital.
The only Cincinnati hospital on the 1998 list was Children's Hospital Medical Center, eighth in the nation for pediatrics, down from fifth last year.
Missing the list surprised University officials because last year, the hospital was listed among the nation's 40 best in 10 categories: 12th in otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat), 22nd in neurology, 23rd in endocrinology, 26th in AIDS, 26th in pulmonary care, 31st in gastroenterology, 34th in cancer, 37th in geriatrics, 39th in gynecology and 40th in cardiology.
The annual American Hospital Association survey provides data the magazine uses to calculate one-third of a hospital's score, said Avery Comarow, editor of the America's Best Hospitals project. University Hospital is a member of the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati.
Alliance spokeswoman Gail Myers had no explanation Thursday about why the survey was not completed.
The list will appear in the magazine's July 27 issue, which hits newsstands Monday. The list is based on the magazine's own formula, which ranks top hospitals in 16 service categories, ranging from cancer to urology. This year's list includes 132 medical centers drawn from a pool of 1,985 eligible hospitals.
