If and when we go to the hospital, we hope (and, all too often, assume) that we're getting the best care. However, when it comes to our various ailments, which ones are really supreme?
U.S. News and World Report published a report on the 50 most outstanding medical centers in our country in a variety of fields, including gynecology, heart surgery and even rheumatology (study and treatment of muscle, joint and tendon problems). Without further ado, here's a rundown of the nation's best as well as how local hospitals fared. (By the way, the hospitals were judged according to, among other things, the quality of the facility and the expertise of the staff.)
Cancer: The University of Texas (M.D. Anderson Cancer Center) in Houston is rated the best, with New York's Sloan-Kettering and Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital rounding out the top three. As for local medical centers, the University of Chicago Hospitals ranked sixth while University of Wisconsin-Madison snagged 24th place and Northwestern Memorial ranked 33rd.
Gastroenterology: When it comes to digestive disorders, the world-famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., took top honors, while Johns Hopkins and Cleveland Clinic (Who knew?) came in, respectively, second and third. Locally, the U. of C. hospitals again came in sixth while Indianapolis's Clarian Health Partner (17th), Northwestern Memorial (41st) and Skokie's Rush North Shore Medical Center (48th) also appeared on the list.
Ear, Nose & Throat: What's over at Johns Hopkins? The hospital ranked first; Iowa City's University of Iowa Hospitals and Boston's Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary followed close behind. Cleveland Clinic (10th), Northwestern Memorial (24th) and Park Ridge's Lutheran General (40th) also factored in the mix.
Gynecology: Surprise, surprise ... Johns Hopkins again ranked first. Mayo Clinic and Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital came in second and third, respectively. Chicago women have nothing to fear, though: Northwestern Memorial (13th), U. of Chicago Hospitals (19th), Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's (33rd) and Cook County Hospital (48th) all did well.
Heart & Heart Surgery: Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic and Massachusetts General snagged the top three spots. As for local spots, Lutheran General (35th), Indianapolis's St. Vincent Hospital (44th) and Wausau Hospital in Wausau, Wis. (46th) were the only ones to crack the top 50.
Hormonal Disorders: For diabetes and thyroid conditions, Mayo Clinic is tops. (In case you were wondering, Johns Hopkins was third.) Locally, Northwestern Memorial (13th), U. of Chicago Hospitals (14th) and Milwaukee's Froedtert Memorial (34th) did well.
Kidney Disease: Boston rules in this category, with two of its medical centers (Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's Hospital) taking the top spots. University of Chicago Hospitals (20th), Rush-Presbyterian (25th) and Northwestern Memorial (42nd) are also solid choices.
Neurology/Neurosurgery: It's like a broken record ... Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General and Johns Hopkins rank 1-2-3. As for Chicagoland spots, Northwestern Memorial (22nd), University of Illinois-Chicago (25th), University of Chicago Hospitals (39th) and Harvey's Ingalls Hospital (41st) are among the best.
Respiratory Disorders: Regarding such conditions as asthma, Denver's National Jewish Center is tops, with Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins not far behind. University of Chicago Hospitals (17th), Cook County Hospital (28th) and Chicago Heights's St. James Hospital (45th) also have excellent respiratory disorder departments.
Rheumatology: When those joints are in pain, the best place to be is ... drum roll ... Mayo Clinic. Locally, you might want to try University of Chicago Hospitals (22nd), the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (29th) or Wheaton's Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital (36th).
Other specialties: Local medical centers did well when it came to other fields. In the area of ophthalmology, University of Illinois-Chicago Hospital is the best locally (17th) while Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago is ninth nationally in pediatrics.
Lastly, in the area of rehabilitation, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago is ranked first in the country.
Overall: Generally speaking, the medical center that gets the equivalent of the Best Picture Oscar is Johns Hopkins Hospitals, with Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic, Massachusetts General and UCLA Medical Center rounding out the top five. As for local centers, the University of Chicago Hospitals tied for 14th with Stanford University Hospital.
