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Four Boston hospitals are among the best in the nation, according to the findings of a new report. Publisher Becker’s Healthcare released the results of its annual “100 Great Hospitals in America” list on Wednesday, which included Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Here’s why each made the list, according to the publisher:
Boston Children’s Hospital
This 404-bed comprehensive pediatric care center earned designation from U.S. News & World Report as the No. 1 children's hospital in the nation for 2017-18. The hospital is home to the world's largest research enterprise based at a children's hospital, with a research community of more than 1,100 scientists; current research initiatives have garnered $225 million in annual funding. The hospital schedules more than 550,000 patient visits every year and experiences more than 25,000 inpatient admissions.
Boston Medical Center
Boston Medical Center, a 567-bed academic medical center situated in the diverse South End neighborhood of Boston, is the largest safety-net provider in New England. With more than 132,000 emergency department visits in 2017, BMC is also home to the largest and busiest trauma and emergency center in New England. BMC serves a critical patient population: 57 percent of visits are made by underserved populations, including low-income and elderly patients, and 32 percent of patients are not primary English speakers. As such, BMC has put an incredible emphasis on community-based care and accessibility. It offers a Preventive Food Pantry for nutrition-related illness, invested $6.5 million in December 2017 in an affordable housing initiative, offers face-to-face interpreters on-site in 14 languages, and can use video and telephonic interpreting to provide services in up to 250 languages. BMC is driven by its Vision 2030 initiative to make Boston the healthiest urban population in the world.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of Boston-based nonprofit health system Partners HealthCare, is a 793-bed general medical and surgical hospital and a major teaching affiliate of the local Harvard Medical School. The hospital clocks more 4.2 million patient encounters and nearly 46,000 inpatient stays each year. U.S. News & World Report ranked BWH the No. 2 hospital in Massachusetts and the No. 4 hospital in the country for cancer care and gynecology in 2017-18. BWH is renowned for its research prowess: The BWH Research Institute is among the top independent hospital recipients of NIH funding. In December, Reisa Sperling, MD, director of the hospital's Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, became one of three physician-scientists who will launch the Alzheimer's Clinical Trials Consortium, funded with a $70 million NIH grant, to accelerate clinical trials and find new ways to treat or prevent Alzheimer's and dementia.
Massachusetts General Hospital
Comprising 1,000-plus beds and about 2,400 physicians, Mass Gen sees about 50,000 inpatient admissions per year. The medical center was ranked the No. 4 hospital in the nation — and No. 1 in Massachusetts — by U.S. News & World Report for 2017-18. It is one of a handful of hospitals that consistently rank nationally in all 16 specialties considered by U.S. News. As the original teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School, Mass Gen has strong roots in medical research and innovation, boasting an annual research budget of more than $900 million.
Becker's Healthcare created the list based on analysis of ranking and award agencies, including U.S. News & World Report's 2017-18 rankings, CMS star ratings, Leapfrog grades and Truven Health Analytics.
“The hospitals included on this list have been recognized nationally for excellence in clinical care, patient outcomes, and staff and physician satisfaction,” the publisher said. “These institutions are industry leaders that have achieved advanced accreditation and certification in several specialties. The list also includes industry innovators that have sparked trends in healthcare technology, hospital management and patient satisfaction.”