Although all hospitals offer care and treatment for spinal cord injuries, there are some which are recommended and ranked highly for their neurology departments, and perhaps even spinal cord injury programs.
The following list of hospitals for children with spinal cord injuries is based upon the rankings of best facilities, as compiled by U.S. News & World Report. They take into account various elements, which here are the reputation, patient survival rate, patient safety and care-related factors i.e. nurse staffing levels and breadth of patient services.
It is important to remember that although some hospitals may be ranked highly for their neurology department, may be less well equipped in other departments. Similarly, those with other strong departments may be less highly ranked for neurology.
The rankings looked at more than 100 pediatric centers, where 83.3% of their final scores come from survival post-surgery, infection prevention, and other data; 16.7% reflects nominations from specialists’ answers in surveys.
Best Pediatric SCI Hospitals
1. BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL - #1 in the nation; overall score 100.00/100
Elements in which this hospital experienced VERY HIGH/ STRONG scores:
- Reputation with specialists
- Surgical survival
- Prevention of surgical complications
- Clinic patient volume
- Surgery volume
- Epilepsy workup and care volume
Elements in which this hospital experienced SUPERIOR/ ALL scores:
- Full time subspecialist availability
- Commitment to quality improvement
- Patient and family services
- Specialized clinics and programs
- Clinical support services
- Advanced technologies
2. TEXAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL - #2 in the nation; 94.6/100
Elements in which this hospital experienced VERY HIGH/ STRONG scores:
- Reputation with specialists
- Surgical survival
- Prevention of surgical complications
- Management of epilepsy patients
- Clinic patient volume
Elements in which this hospital experienced SUPERIOR/ ALL scores:
- Full time subspecialist availability
- Adoption of health information technology
- Commitment to quality improvement
- Steps to engage families
- Patient and family services
- Specialized clinics and programs
- Commitment to best practice
- Advanced clinical services
3. CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA - #3 in the nation; 94.0/100
Elements in which this hospital experienced VERY HIGH/ STRONG scores:
- Reputation with specialists
- Surgical survival
- Prevention of surgical complications
- Clinic patient volume
Elements in which this hospital experienced SUPERIOR/ ALL scores:
- Full time subspecialist availability
- Adoption of health information technology
- Commitment to quality improvement
- Steps to engage family
- Patient and family services
- Specialized clinics and programs
- Advanced technologies
- Commitment to best practices
- Nursing intensity
4. CHILDREN’S NATIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, Washington, DC - #4 in the nation; 93.7/100
Elements in which this hospital experienced VERY HIGH/ STRONG scores:
- Surgical survival
- Prevention of surgical complications
- Management of epilepsy patients
- Clinic patient volume
Elements in which this hospital experienced SUPERIOR/ ALL scores:
- Full time subspecialist availability
- Adoption of health information technology
- Commitment to quality improvement
- Steps to engage families
- Patient and family services
- Specialized clinics and programs
- Advanced technologies
- Commitment to best practices
- Nursing intensity
- Use of infection-preventing measures
5. JOHN HOPKINS CHILDREN’S CENTER, Baltimore, MD- #5 in the nation, 93.4/100
Elements in which this hospital experienced VERY HIGH/ STRONG scores:
- Surgical survival
- Prevention of surgical complications
Elements in which this hospital experienced SUPERIOR/ ALL scores:
- Full time subspecialist availability
- Adoption of health information technology
- Commitment to quality improvement
- Steps to engage families
- Patient and family services
- Specialized clinics and programs
- Advanced technologies
- Clinical support services
- Advanced clinical services
- Commitment to best practices
- Nursing intensity
