Best Hospitals 2007
The Best Hospitals
An exclusive survey of more than 1,000 leading doctors yields 43 sources of top medical care
RESOURCES
National Council on the Aging. (202) 479-1200. Pamphlets on elder care and nutrition. The National Institute on Aging, (800) 222-2225 for free information; (800) 438-4380 to talk with information specialists about Alzheimer's. American Association of Retired Persons, (202) 434-2277. Information on medical and social issues; membership $5 a year ($8 Sept. 1).
GYNECOLOGY BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL BOSTON / 14 pct.
JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL BALTIMORE / 14 pct.
MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER, MINN. / 13 pct.
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS (M.D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER) HOUSTON / 11 pct.
DUKE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER DURHAM, N.C. / 9 pct.
MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL BOSTON / 8 pct.
YALE-NEW HAVEN HOSPITAL / 7 pct.
MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER NEW YORK / 6 pct.
Gynecology deals with problems of the female reproductive tract, and most hospital departments include obstetrics as well. A good department can tap the talent of experts in genetics, infectious diseases, surgery, endocrinology and cancer to treat diseases like endometriosis, ectopic pregnancy, uterine bleeding and fibroid tumors.
EXPERT'S VIEW
CHARLES HAMMOND, chairman, obstetrics and gynecology department, Duke University: When you have a confusing diagnosis or a rare condition or you're not responding to treatment, it may be time to check out a medical center with a strong reputation. A community obstetrician/gynecologist may see one placental tumor in a lifetime, but a referral center may have half a dozen cases at any one time. The presence of subspecialists in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, maternal and fetal medicine and gynecologic oncology suggests the faculty is top-notch and can handle complex problems. For cancer, I'd want to know if the hospital tests new drugs and approaches and has a gynecological oncologist on staff. And for in vitro fertilization, I'd like to see a success rate of better than 15 percent per cycle--for a take-home baby, not a pregnancy.
RESOURCES
American Fertility Society, (205) 933-8494. Booklets on reproductive health and fertility. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Pamphlet list; send an SASE to ACOG, 409 12th Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20024. National Women's Health Network, (202) 347-1140. A $5 donation brings packets on health issues of concern to women.
NEUROLOGY MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER, MINN. / 60 pct.
MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL BOSTON / 49 pct.
JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL BALTIMORE / 39 pct.
CLEVELAND CLINIC / 36 pct.
COLUMBIA-PRESBYTERIAN MEDICAL CENTER NEW YORK / 31 pct.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO MEDICAL CENTER / 28 pct.
UCLA MEDICAL CENTER LOS ANGELES / 19 pct.
Doctors in neurology departments treat widely ranging muscle and central-nervous-system problems from parkinsonism and multiple sclerosis to Alzheimer's, epilepsy, stroke and spinal-cord injuries. At most major hospitals, rehabilitation and psychiatry play an increasingly important role in neurology departments.
EXPERT'S VIEW
LEWIS ROWLAND, chief of neurology, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center: We've run counter to the modern demands for more general physicians by allowing specialists in neurology to become superspecialists in particular groups of diseases, such as movement disorders, neuromuscular diseases and problems involving dementia. The amount of knowledge available is so huge that people have to focus if they're going to be on the front lines. Superspecialists are best able to make an early diagnosis for Parkinson's, epilepsy, Lou Gehrig's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke and dementia--disorders best managed early on. They're aided by neuroradiologists, neuropathologists and neuroepidemiologists, who try to decipher whether these diseases strike certain people differently. And because neurology departments with dedicated centers for diseases like these are on the forefront, they can offer treatment trials and comprehensive care, such as rehabilitation and social services.
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