Best Children's Hospitals: Understanding the Methodology
Reader Comments
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lemyaskin rulezz
The Children's list?!?
The Children's ranking is great, although how about going a step further and offering that list separately so that we who are searching only for childrens specialties dont have to look through all top hospitals to find the top Childrens facilities??
Having delivered a baby last year at a community hospital with great doctors and nurses after not feeling well cared for in one of your "top-rated" hospitals, let's just say that the patient's view of things does have great bearing on the perceived level of care if not actual care. Though they had all the gadgets, the doctors I had contact with at the big hospital made me feel brushed off, even while they explained that my baby would die! I would now be very reticent to take any child to that facility because of the way I was talked to, and decisions that were made without me, not due to any medical treatment issue.
We now face another gravely serious medical issue and are having a great deal of difficulty choosing a team to care for me and our next child. Even though we live in a major metro area, the choices in pregnancy care and pediatrics dont seem to be nearly what they are for adults.
Opinions used to establish BEST rankings?
My cousin arrived at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, TX after being told the hospitals in Oklahoma and Dallas could do nothing more for him. He hadn't eaten in weeks; his mother was force feeding him yogurt through a straw. He could no longer sit or stand on his own. When he was carried through the door of the Emergency Center, weak, emaciated, and actively seizing he was immediately ushered into a room.
He had a total of 5 surgeries to remove the areas of his brain which were causing his seizures and leading him to a slow death.
The fantastic team at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, championed by Dr. James Baumgartner and Dr. Gretchen Von Allmen, worked miracles for my cousin. He is now a happy-go-lucky kiddo who walks with help, is well-nourished, and had his first visit to the beach this year.
Without the determination and intense passion with which the doctors and nurses at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital provide care, my cousin would not be with us today. His condition, Sturge-Weber Syndrome, is rare and not well understood.
We are eternally grateful to the team of doctors and nurses at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital.
methodology
I wish you could try to improve on your methodology for ranking childrens hospitals-needs to be finer tuned. I have reviewed the methodology details provided at the link and am surprised by some of the factors included (and lack thereof). Even though one can understand that given the current lack of availability of pediatric-specific outcomes data etc. it is far from an excact science. Yet there is a growing amount of awareness and research in pediatric outcomes, which needs to be looked into and included for your report.
Also, for the sake of all your readers [many of whom are lay people], PLEASE ensure that readers can put the info. that you present into perspective:
the needs of a family whose child has a rare disease or 'special health-care' needs or needs unusual surgery is quite different from other children, whose medical care depends on the following elements (my opinion)each of which plays an important role:
1. interaction of the personality and behavioral qualities of parents of the child with health care giver(s)
2. effective communication between parent/child and health care provider
3. Health care facilities and systems that allow for quality and safe care of children and effectively employ technologies that ensure the same
4.Competent and caring professionals (this includes the physicians and all other health care team members) who take the time and every effort to listen to parents, their concerns and strive to provide good medical care that exceeds "community standards"
All of these are (in my opinion) crucial elements.
The size of a medical center, the high-tech amenities, or the experience of few parents and opinion of small survey of pediatricians, the volume of cases, presence of fellowship programs etc. may not be the best predictors of best health care.
Comparing Children's Hospitals
My son is 14. He has complex heart, lung, endocrine, immune, neurology diagnoses, among others systems involved and other diagnoses. He takes many meds a day. He has survived what few have survived as adults. But first he is a kid that loves baseball, pizza, Disneyworld, and hanging out with friends. What has made the biggest difference in our experience in many many Children's Hospitals across the country, is his personal team of heroes, that trust me as a mom and believe in my son's love of life. Without them we could not celebrate miracles. CHOP is our second home, and it is closest to our home. It was not the first, second or even third hospital we used for our son, but it is the best because all of the doctors are like family and the interdepartmental communication is excellent. His doctors are very passionate when it comes to these kids surviving. It is an exciting time to be a parent of a medically fragile child, however heart breaking it is, and it is also an incredible experience to be in the midst of a revolution of how care has changed over the last decade. CHOP Is the Happy to Be There Hospital, compared to the rest! I woulnd't wish "passing beyond the veil" of having a critically ill child on anyone, but it comes with lessons of deep unbridled love and a sub-culture and experience that not all experience in life. . .that of many many people being invested and caring and helping your child survive each and every day. Really caring, nothing fake about it. The real stuff. That is how it works at CHOP and it's not like that everywhere. It is the doctors who create the atmosphere of love and care and optimistic attitude, and it makes a huge difference in the lives of children and their families. And it is up to us, to have a positive attitude, as parents of our older children, and to remember to be thankful and grateful. I know my son and all of his nuances, and it is rare that a doctor has not listened to my insight about his care. And it is now my son who has insight into his own body and his own care. . .what is needed is doctors who can care for these very special kids that are surviving their congenital and childhood diseases, as they grow up and become adults.
Hospital Rankings
Let these comments be a lesson to all who are administrators of Hospitals in the United States. Parents are just as interested in amenities as they are in excellent care. It is the American Way. If Dr. Ben Carson practiced in a 63-bed hospital with wards and chipped paint, he probably would not be as recognized for his lifesaving surgeries as he is in The Johns. In America, we want all our facilities to be first rate and the practitioners, too. My best to all the ranked hospitals, but I would put my little community medical center, Craven Regional Medical Center in New Bern, NC up against any of them.
Previous doctor comments
I have read a couple of the comments that doctors have made concerning the "best care" at children's hospitals. In some ways I do agree with them when it comes to a doctor being a jerk but making the right decisions for the child's care. But I strongly believe that a child's care is more than just the child. It should encompass the family caregivers of that child. Stress, concern and worry on the parent's side can have an adverse affect on the child as well. I have a terminally ill and severly handicapped child that is now 14. We have spent many many days, weeks and even months in hospitals getting our daughter cared for. The two main children's hospitals that we have dealt with are Joe Dimaggio's in Hollywood Florida and the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (formerly Eggleston). We have always received tremendous care from the doctor's and more importantly the nurses. They have treated myself and my wife with respect, kindness and understanding. When you have a child that is gravely ill or just sick, it affects the parents. As for the comment that "parents are not good judges of health care", that individual has no clue! Parents are the best judges of the health care that their child recieves and if doctors would listen to the parents, it would only benefit them in provided the best care. No we don't know the answers, but we do know our children and know what is normal or abnormal for them. I would advise to take the time to converse with the parents and gain their trust. Do you always have the mind you P's and Q's, absolutely not, but have respect for the parents too. We love our children and want what is best for them!
Ranking the Best
I am a specialty physician, from a department on the list. I believe we do give phenomenal care, but whether or not its in the top 30 of the country...I'm not sure. Regardless, when you talk about the BEST, you want results. For a simple procedure, yes, you would love to have the really nice doctor, who takes the time to chat, learn Johnny's favorite color, etc... But, when you want the BEST care for your child because he's been suffering for years and nobody knows why, do you care if the physician is a jerk? Similarly, a "comfortable" hospital does not necessarily provide the best care. When my hospital did some rennovations, I was disappointed that they put DOORS on the rooms. Parents get the misguided impression that they are in a hotel, not a hospital (while it is nice to have a respite, it still should be about the care). Creating a nice cozy enviornment, has led to me have grave discussions with a mother in her see-through nightie, and other staff members catching 15 year old patients having sex in their room, diabetics hiding candy all over their rooms, etc. Dont get me wrong, patient comfort and happiness is important. The presence of child life specialists and other wonderful , important supportive staff exist in these stellar children's hospitals, and definitely contribute to a positive outcome. But dont forget. That is ultimately the goal.
