University of Maryland Children’s Heart Program Ranked by US News & World Report for 3rd Consecutive Year

Baltimore, MD -- The University of Maryland Children's Hospital (UMCH) is once again ranked by US News & World Report as one of the "Best Children's Hospitals for Cardiology and Heart Surgery." Among children's hospitals nationally, the Children's Heart Program at UMCH ranks 41st in the nation out of nearly 200 qualified pediatric heart centers.

"It is an honor for our Children's Heart Program to be recognized a third consecutive time as being among the very best in the nation," says Steven J. Czinn, MD, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and director of UMCH. "We have an immensely talented, innovative team of doctors, nurses and staff who constantly challenge themselves to take the care we provide to a whole new level. It is because of their collaborative and pioneering spirit that this program has been so consistently successful in caring for children with heart disease."

"The ranking demonstrates sustained excellence across the entire University of Maryland team who care for children with complex, serious and life-threatening illnesses," said Alison G. Brown, Interim President of the University of Maryland Medical Center Downtown Campus and President of the University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus. "The ranking process is rigorous, focusing on quality outcome measures as well as our efforts to continuously improve care. Our entire team demonstrates this programs' excellence, innovation and compassion everyday while caring for our smallest, most vulnerable children and their families."

The ranking process included a comparison of pediatric cardiac surgical outcomes at UMCH with similar programs across the United States, using data from the Society of Thoracic Surgery Congenital Heart Surgery Database.

The Children's Heart Program at UMCH has seen some medical marvels this past year as it has pioneered novel approaches to improve the lives of patients with many different types of pediatric heart conditions. UMCH is successfully treating adults with congenital heart disease; pioneering new ways to track, monitor and treat heart conditions for babies in utero; and, developing hybrid surgical and catheterization procedures for the most complex pediatric heart conditions as appropriate.

The program was evaluated not only on the expertise of individual caregivers, but also on the support provided by the University of Maryland Medical Center across the clinical spectrum, from surgery and intensive care to the catheterization and electrophysiology labs, to echocardiography and advanced imaging. The ranking process looked at research efforts at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the work with hospitals throughout the 13-hospital hospital system of the University of Maryland Medical System.

The process also evaluated other key areas that must work together to ensure the best results for some of the most vulnerable and tiny patients including nursing, social work, child life services, neonatal and pediatric intensive care, anesthesiology and pharmacy.

Learn more about the Children's Heart Program at UMCH.

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About the University of Maryland Children's Hospital

The University of Maryland Children's Hospital at the University of Maryland Medical Center is recognized throughout Maryland and the mid-Atlantic region as a resource for critically and chronically ill children. UMCH physicians and staff excel in combining state-of-the-art medicine with family-centered care. More than 100 physicians specialize in understanding how to treat conditions and diseases in children, including congenital heart conditions, asthma, epilepsy and gastrointestinal disorders. The Drs. Rouben and Violet Jiji Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) provides the highest level of care to the tiniest newborns. To learn more about the University of Maryland Children's Hospital, please visit http://umm.edu/childrens.