U.S. News & World Report has published a response to criticism of its Best Hospitals ranking in an attempt to clarify misconceptions.
The report cited an editorial in the Wall Street Journal by Ezekiel Emanuel, chairman of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, who questioned the usefulness of the rankings.
"Emanuel and other critics ignore the often-stated mission of the rankings: to provide a tool for the relatively small percentage of patients who, first, need a much higher level of medical care than most community hospitals can provide and, second, have time to look around for the best source. We want to speak to those with rare or hard-to-treat cancers, those who are very old or physically ailing and those with multiple conditions for whom care is never 'routine,'" U.S. News & World Report wrote.
U.S. News recognized weaknesses in its methodology, but emphasized that it continues to refine its methods based on available evidence.
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