Out of the many rankings available to patients ...there is a key indicator of performance that patients should ask about before deciding on a hospital. Patients should ask, “Where do you rank in U.S. News & World Report rankings?”  U.S. News & World Report recently released its annual rankings of the top hospitals and programs in the country. For a patient looking to make the best choice, those numbers could be the difference between life and death.

            For the rankings, U.S. News reviews nearly 5,000 hospitals and medical centers in an extensive data-driven analysis of performance measures, including patient outcomes, nursing quality, patient safety and the range of programs offered in any one specialty. The rankings also include survey results of 30,000 physicians, establishing the reputation of a medical specialty program. Here is how The University of Kansas Health System ranked. The U.S. News rankings are widely regarded as among the best indicators of quality of an institution and its programs.

            In the video, Dr. Andrew Sauer, medical director of the Heart Failure program at the University of Kansas Health System, explains in more detail how the ratings are calculated, why they’re important, and what every patient should ask their doctor. Sauer also explains one of the most important factors, survival, and points out the Heart Failure Program is number one in the nation with no surgical deaths from heart transplants or LVAD implants.

            The video also includes shots of an LVAD device being implanted and shots of a surgeon visiting a heart transplant patient. Also included is drone video of The University of Kansas Health System main campus.