National Jewish Health #1 Respiratory Hospital in 2011

For the 14th year in a row, U.S. News & World Report has named National Jewish Health the #1 respiratory hospital in the nation in its annual rankings of America’s Best Hospitals. For the first time, due to a change in its ranking criteria, U.S. News ranked National Jewish Health and the University of Colorado Hospital together in a combined listing.

“We are proud to achieve this number one ranking for the 14th consecutive year. Our commitment to providing the best care and the highest level of innovation is unwavering,” said Michael Salem, MD, President and CEO of National Jewish Health. “This year we are listed with  the University of Colorado Hospital, an outstanding organization and our collaborator in areas such as research, clinical care and fellowship training.”

As in previous years, U.S. News ranked hospitals based on a combination of care-related factors such as nursing, patient services and technology, and the opinions of board-certified pulmonologists around the nation, who were asked to name “hospitals they consider to be the best in their specialty for complex or difficult cases."

For the first time in 2011, U.S. News required a minimum number of in-patient discharges to qualify for the rankings. National Jewish Health did not meet that minimum at its main health campus, although its physicians manage and staff intensive care units at Swedish and Rose medical centers, and provide hospitalist care at Rose, which account for thousands of in-patient discharges. U.S. News chose to list National Jewish Health and the University of Colorado Hospital as a single entity, in recognition of their academic affiliation. The combined listing does not represent any change in operations or affiliations at the two hospitals.

“National Jewish Health today continues to be the innovative hospital that has earned the #1 ranking in respiratory care for 14 years in a row and is a world leader in the treatment of respiratory, cardiac, immune and related disorders for 111 years,” said Dr. Salem.

Patients who come to National Jewish Health are provided comprehensive, coordinated care of the highest standard, from evaluation and diagnosis, to treatment and management of their issues.

National Jewish Health faculty provide direct patient care at several Denver area hospitals in addition to the University of Colorado Hospital, most notably Children’s Hospital Colorado, Denver Health, Colorado Acute Long Term Hospital, Rose and Swedish medical centers. National Jewish Health physicians see patients and provide a wide array of pediatric and adult services at a total of 15 locations in the National Jewish Health network of care.

National Jewish Health is a national leader in respiratory, cardiac, immune and related disorders from unparalleled patient care, to groundbreaking research, and education of physicians, scientists and other healthcare professionals from around the world. National Jewish Health has the largest pulmonary division in the nation, and is the only hospital whose principal focus is pulmonary disease.

The U.S. News ranking is just one of many honors and accomplishments National Jewish Health receives, including extraordinary research funding and impact, prestigious publications in scientific journals, nationally recognized physicians and scientists, contributions to national care guidelines, and patient referrals from around the world.