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Phoenix Children鈥檚 is one of a small number of pediatric hospitals in the nation that — once again — has earned high rankings in all 10 specialties in the annual U.S. News & World Report鈥檚 Best Children鈥檚 Hospitals.

The hospital is one of only 24 children鈥檚 hospitals in the United States to rank in all 10 surveyed specialties for 2020-2021. This is the fourth time the institution has received recognition in all 10. 

Neonatology, orthopedics and cardiology and heart surgery were the hospital鈥檚 highest ranked programs this year.   

鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting for us. It鈥檚 a testament to the hard work that hundreds of people put in every day. It鈥檚 a testament to our leadership for recruiting top-notch talent to be able to provide that quality of care,鈥� said Dr. Kelly Kelleher, who recently spoke to 91直播 about the rankings and how the hospital is being affected by COVID-19.

To be nationally ranked in a specialty, a hospital must excel in caring for the sickest, most medically complex patients.

Keeping families safe during COVID-19

To calculate the, U.S. News & World Report analyzes a number of measures including clinical expertise, quality of care, and patient outcomes. 

One category that is particularly important to families during the pandemic is safe care, said Kelleher, who also is chief quality and safety officer. 

Like other hospitals in the state, it has implemented a variety of to protect patients, visitors and staff from the coronavirus. Everyone, even children as young as 3, are required to wear masks, Kelleher said.

To address family concerns, the hospital is offering telehealth visits. But if a child is having serious health issues, parents should not be afraid to bring them into the hospital, Kelleher said.

鈥淲e want to be seen as a resource in the community and we want to be a place where families feel comfortable and they know when they come here they鈥檙e going to get high quality care that鈥檚 safe.鈥�

So far, the hospital has not had many admissions of children with severe cases of COVID-19. For the most part, children are not as adversely affected as adults, she said.

Hospital treating children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome

The hospital also has been seeing cases of the multisystem inflammatory syndrome 

(MIS-C) that occurs after a child is infected with COVID-19, and expects more to come as the disease is surging across the state, Kelleher said.

But cases are 鈥渆xceptionally rare,鈥� she said. MIS-C is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs.

The rankings 

This is the 10th consecutive year Phoenix Children鈥檚 has been named among the nation鈥檚 Best Children鈥檚 Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. 

Specialties are measured by national surveys of pediatric specialists who rank top pediatric hospitals in specific specialties by indicating where they would send their sickest patients.

Here is the list of the hospital鈥檚 national rankings this year:

-Neonatology, #20           

-Orthopedics, #23

-Cardiology and Heart Surgery, #27

-Neurology and Neurosurgery, #29

-Nephrology, #33             

-Gastroenterology and GI Surgery, #34             

-Hematology and Oncology, #35

-Pulmonology & Lung Surgery, #37                

-Diabetes and Endocrinology, #39

-Urology, #45

Phoenix Children鈥檚 reputation attracts patients worldwide 

Phoenix Children鈥檚 is one of Arizona鈥檚 many world-class health care institutions that draws not only patients, but industry and families to the state.

Young patients at the hospital benefit from partnerships with many of these facilities including Barrow Neurological Institute and the Mayo Clinic.  

Other honors this year 

Phoenix Children鈥檚 ranking among the nation鈥檚 Best Children鈥檚 Hospitals comes on the heels of several other high-profile honors and acknowledgments. 

In April, the health system was verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level 1 Children鈥檚 Surgery Center. In addition, it recently received a three-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities and is routinely recognized by Solutions for Patient Safety for its quality work. Late last year, the hospital received a Five Star Patient Care 鈥淰igi Award.鈥�

About Phoenix Children鈥檚 Hospital

For more than 35 years, Phoenix Children’s has provided world-class inpatient, outpatient, trauma, emergency and urgent care to children and families in Arizona and throughout the Southwest. As one of the largest children鈥檚 hospitals in the country, Phoenix Children鈥檚 delivers care across more than 75 pediatric specialties. For more information about the hospital, visit .