New York City, NY (June 18, 2009) - For the second year in a row, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) has been ranked among the top pediatric specialty hospitals in the country in U.S. News Media Group's 2009 edition of America's Best Children's Hospitals, featured in the August issue of U.S. News & World Report. The 2009 America's Best Children's Hospitals ranking is the most extensive listing of its kind. CHAM was ranked in three major specialties: Kidney Disorders, Neurology/Neurosurgery and Neonatal Medicine.

"We at Montefiore are honored to be named among the nation's best providers of pediatric specialty care by this prestigious survey," said Steven M. Safyer, MD, President and CEO, Montefiore Medical Center. "We continue to strive to maintain our commitment to bringing the best in medical services to our Bronx community, while becoming one of the finest academic medical centers in the world," Dr. Safyer said.

"We have a developed a superb team of world-renowned specialists in the medical and surgical care of children and adolescents at CHAM," said Philip O. Ozuah, MD, Physician-in-Chief, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore and Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Montefiore and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "But what makes CHAM so special is the warm and caring atmosphere that is so obvious to everyone who comes here."

"We congratulate The Children's Hospital at Montefiore on this well-deserved recognition," said Allen M. Spiegel, MD, The Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "As our University Hospital and Academic Medical Center, Montefiore provides our students with their formative experiences as future medical professionals and the very best in medical training. What's more, Phil Ozuah has recruited a number of outstanding pediatric physician-scientists to his team, vastly expanding opportunities for synergy between our institutions."

"While they might be a small percentage of all hospital patients, a large number of children every year need high-quality hospital care," said Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. "The objective of the Best Children's Hospitals rankings is to help children with uniquely challenging medical needs, and for these special patients, it is essential they seek treatment at pediatric facilities with deep expertise. With this year's rankings, we're providing important information on the best of the best."

The methodology behind this year's rankings weighed a three-part blend of reputation, outcome and care-related measures such as nursing care, advanced technology, credentialing and other factors. The hospitals were judged based on a combination of opinions from pediatric specialists about the hospitals they would recommend for the sickest children and data gathered in a 65-page survey covering important medical information ranging from surgical death rates to whether pediatric anesthesiologists and other sub specialists are on the staff.

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