Westlake Hospital is No. 25 in U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals Chicago Metro Area Rankings!

3/29/2011 12:00:00 AM

Melrose Park, Ill. – March 29, 2011 – Westlake Hospital is ranked No. 25 in the Chicago area in U.S. News & World Report's first-ever Best Hospitals metro area rankings released today. The rankings are available online at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/chicago-il.

Westlake was recognized for high performance in three specialties: geriatrics, pulmonology (respiratory disease) and urology.

The new metro area rankings are relevant to a much wider range of healthcare consumers. They are aimed primarily at consumers whose care may not demand the special expertise found only at a nationally ranked Best Hospital. Patients and their families may have a better chance of finding a U.S. News-ranked metro-area hospital in their health insurance network and community, without having to travel far to get care at a high-performing hospital.

U.S. News ranked hospitals within all 52 U.S. metro areas with populations of 1 million or more, using existing data from 2010-11 Best Hospitals. The new rankings identify hospitals that performed nearly as well as the nationally ranked Best Hospitals in at least one of 16 adult specialties. To be ranked in its metro area, a hospital had to score in the top 25 percent among its peers in at least one of 16 medical specialties. Of the 121 hospitals in the Chicago metro area, 46 made the Best Hospitals metro list.

“We are thrilled to be ranked as one of the Best Hospitals in the Chicago metro area with recognition in geriatrics, pulmonology and urology,” said Pat Shehorn, CEO, Westlake Hospital. “Our patients can count on us for exceptional care right in their own neighborhood.”

Westlake recently unveiled a comprehensive geriatric program with a new senior center, senior transportation program and a dedicated geriatric unit. In March, Westlake opened the senior center, which is a free membership program offering a wide variety of free screenings, educational seminars and counseling sessions.

“Receiving recognition for our geriatric care is a testament to our commitment to helping individuals in our community stay healthy for life,” Shehorn said. “Our goal is to help residents maintain a healthy and active lifestyle as they age. Westlake is proud of being a leading community resource for health and health care for seniors.”

Westlake also received top ratings in urology and pulmonology.

“We have an outstanding team of specialists in urology and pulmonary care that provide patients with advanced care using the latest techniques,” Shehorn said. “We deliver exceptional care in a community- hospital setting.”

With the new rankings, the U.S. News score summarizes quality of inpatient care factoring these major elements: reputation, mortality, patient safety and a set of measures related to quality of care, such as patient volume and nursing care.

For more information about the U.S. News rankings, visit www.usnews.com/hospitals.


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Westlake Hospital has been serving Melrose Park and the surrounding communities for over 80 years. Our hospital is committed to being the leading resource in the community for health and healthcare through the development of life-long relationships focused on excellent quality, exceptional service and compassionate care.

Westlake Hospital is part of the Vanguard Health Systems that operates health care facilities in four primary urban markets with a strategy to develop locally branded comprehensive networks that bridge the best of the non-profit tradition of community, mission and service with expanded access to capital, organizational flexibility and economies of scale to enhance patient and community care.