University of Iowa hospitals ranks in 2 of 15 U.S. News-ranked specialties

IOWA CITY — After slipping last year to the lowest number of medical care specialties ranked among the Top 50 nationally in at least a decade, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics again this year ranked in the same two specialties — but improved their ratings in the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals” list made public today.

The university’s ophthalmology ranking stepped up to No. 6 from No. 7, and its ear, nose and throat ranking moving up to No. 28 from No. 31.

However, the university hospital ranks considerably lower in the U.S. News evaluation than it did a decade ago. In both 2012 and 2014, the Iowa City hospital ranked among the Top 50 in nine specialties. In the 2014-15 list, UIHC ranked a slightly lower No. 8 in ophthalmology but a much higher No. 9 in ear, nose and throat than it does now.

Outside of the Top 50, UIHC lost some ground this year. It achieved “high performing” recognition for six of its specialties last year that were “significantly better than average.” This year, it recorded high performance in just five specialties, losing the label for geriatrics care.

U.S. News — which has come under fire in the last year for its ranking methodology in an array of lists, including universities and graduate schools — has been producing a “Best Hospitals” list for 34 years. For the 2023-24 rankings, 164 of more than 4,500 hospitals evaluated ranked in at least one specialty out of 15 specialties measured.

Some specialties have fewer than 50 ranked hospitals, including ophthalmology — for which U.S. News ranked just 10 hospitals nationally, reporting “not enough data were available” for it to evaluate most of the 484 hospitals with the specialty it considered.

Ophthalmology — along with psychiatry and rheumatology — also stands apart among the 15 specialties for being ranked solely based on “expert opinion,” using responses from three years of surveys of physician specialists asked to name the hospitals they would be inclined to refer their sickest patients.

Rankings for the other 12 specialties — including ear, nose and throat, UIHC’s other ranked specialties — are derived from objective data, including survival rates, patient experience and other care-related indicators like nurse staffing and patient volume.

Hospitals that rank in at least one data-determined specialty — or that earn “high performance” marks in at least seven specialties — are designated as best regional hospitals within their state.

That means UIHC held on to its No. 1 ranking in Iowa, topping MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center at No. 2; UnityPoint Health-Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines at No. 3; and UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids at No. 4 in the 2023-24 rankings.

Although none of Iowa’s other ranked hospitals placed in the Top 50 in any specialties, MercyOne in Des Moines received high-performance marks for 14 of 21 considered procedures and conditions — like knee replacement and heart attack — which was one fewer than UIHC’s 15 high-performing procedures and conditions.

Iowa Methodist achieved high performance in 10 procedure and condition categories, and St. Luke’s Hospital had seven — including heart bypass surgery and hip replacement.

After more than a year of uncertainty and transition atop UI Health Care — with its hospitals and clinics Chief Executive Officer Suresh Gunasekaran announcing in January 2022 his departure and UIHC Vice President for Medical Affairs Brooks Jackson the following month announcing his plans to step down — the university in May announced Denise J. Jamieson will step in as Jackson’s successor starting today. The university also today will launch its search for a new CEO to succeed Gunasekaran.

Although U.S. News for all of its hospital-ranking history has plucked out the top-performing institutions nationally for an “honor roll” ranking the best of the best, the publication this year dropped the ranking aspect and simply listed in alphabetical order the country’s top 22 hospitals.

“While we continue to value the usefulness of the honor roll in identifying broad clinical excellence, we also believe that the current format obscures the fact that all of the honor roll hospitals have attained the highest standard of care in the nation,” according to a July 11 letter to hospital leaders. “As a result, after months of deliberation, we have changed the format of the honor roll list.”

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