MEDICAL RANKINGS

Pair of local facilities tied for 22nd best in Ohio

Toledo Hospital, UTMC called high performers

7/16/2013
BY KELLY McLENDON
BLADE STAFF WRITER
UTMC and Toledo Hospital
UTMC and Toledo Hospital

U.S. News and World Report magazine has designated the University of Toledo Medical Center and ProMedica’s Toledo Hospital among the best hospitals in Ohio.

The two tied for 22nd place in the magazine's 2013 rankings of the state's 230 hospitals.

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The University of Toledo Medical Center, formerly the Medical College of Ohio Hospital, ranked as a high-performer in six clinical specialties: geriatrics, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, and urology.

Dr. Jeffrey Gold, chancellor and executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs, and dean of the college of medicine and life sciences at the University of Toledo, said the center is pleased with the rankings.

“We are extremely proud and humbled by this recognition. It's a team effort that allows this to occur and it's great for our community to have one or more institutions that are recognized this way,” he said.

Dr. Gold said that safety, quality, and patient satisfaction contribute to a positive experience for patients at UTMC.

The magazine also ranked Toledo Hospital as a high-performer in six clinical specialities: gastroenterology and GI surgery, gynecology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology.

In patient satisfaction rankings, 65 percent of Toledo Hospital patients said they would recommend the hospital to family and friends.

The state average is 70 percent.

At the University of Toledo Medical Center, 58 percent said they would recommend the hospital.

Arturo Polizzi, chief operating officer of ProMedica Hospital, said the facility sets goals to maintain standards of quality.

"“When we set our targets, we don't try to compare ourselves against Ohio hospitals. We try to compare ourselves against national-best players in the market. So when we look at quality-metrics, satisfaction-metrics, we look throughout the entire country at the best players and we set goals for ourselves based on those benchmarks,” he said.

Mr. Polizzi said having multiple hospitals in the area with top distinctions can be helpful to the community.

Contact Kelly McLendon at: kmclendon@theblade.com or 419-724-6522, or on Twitter @KMcBlade.