University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) has been ranked in four specialties in the upcoming edition of U.S. News & World Report's 2010-11 Best Hospitals. UCH, the leading academic medical center in the Rocky Mountain region, is the only hospital in the state – and among only a handful of hospitals in the nation – to rank in multiple specialties.

"This recognition by U.S. News is another in a long list of recent accolades and milestones UCH has achieved. It's a testament to our focus on patient care and superior outcomes," said University of Colorado Hospital President and CEO Bruce Schroffel. "UCH has become a destination for people who seek excellence in their health care. We've been able to take our patients to new heights in world-class clinical care, research and education in partnership with the physicians at the School of Medicine."

UCH ranked in pulmonology (8), kidney disorders (15), rheumatology (19) and cancer (44). This is the 16th year the hospital has appeared in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital rankings.

"We're pleased that our excellence in adult cancer care is being recognized," said Dan Theodorescu, M.D., Ph.D., a bladder cancer surgeon, researcher and the new director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center. "UCH is the only nationally recognized adult cancer hospital in the Rocky Mountain region that partners with nearly all the cancer research scientists in Colorado to make basic discoveries relevant to patient care and to bring leading edge treatments to cancer patients. Every day, we are building on these collaborations in exciting ways and translating them into better treatments for patients at UCH."

Best Hospitals 2010-11 includes rankings of 152 medical centers nationwide in 16 specialties: cancer; diabetes and endocrinology; ear, nose and throat; gastroenterology; geriatrics; gynecology; heart and heart surgery; kidney disorders; neurology and neurosurgery; ophthalmology; orthopedics; psychiatry; pulmonology; rehabilitation; rheumatology; and urology.

Full data is available online for another 1,740 hospitals that qualified for ranking but did not score high enough to be ranked. There are about 6,000 hospitals in the United States.

The rankings in 12 of the 16 specialties were driven by hard data such as death rates, procedure volume, and balance of nurses and patients. In the four remaining specialties – ophthalmology, psychiatry, rehabilitation and rheumatology – hospitals were ranked on reputation alone.

The Best Hospitals rankings and methodology are posted at www.usnews.com/besthospitals and will be featured in the August print issue of U.S.News, on newsstands this week.