Baystate Recognized Nationally for Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes

SPRINGFIELD — For the second consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Baystate Children’s Hospital among the top programs in the nation in pediatric endocrinology and diabetes. The “Best Children’s Hospitals” rankings highlight U.S. News’s top 50 U.S. pediatric facilities in cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and GI surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, and urology. Just 89 hospitals across the nation ranked in at least one specialty, based on a combination of clinical data and reputation with pediatric specialists. “We’re proud to again be recognized among the top pediatric medical teams in the nation,” said Dr. Laura Koenigs, interim chair of Pediatrics at Baystate Children’s Hospital. “This honor is a testament to the skill, compassion, and dedication of so many caregivers, who are addressing one of the most important health challenges in our community, diabetes. It’s gratifying to know our care is delivering on our promise and making a difference.” She noted that diabetes in children has the potential to significantly affect their overall health throughout their entire lives. “Helping our patients and their families manage this and other endocrine disorders can have a huge impact on their well-being and success. I congratulate our doctors, nurses, and other team members on this sustained success, and its positive implications for our patients and community.” Added Dr. Evan Benjamin, senior vice president of Healthcare Quality for Baystate Health, “the largest part of our ranking is related to outcomes — how well our young patients do in our care. It’s a point of pride that, at a time when the quality and efficiency of our care has never been more important or more closely examined, we are demonstrating nationally ranked performance right here, close to home, in Western Mass.” Five-sixths of each hospital’s score relied on patient outcomes and the care-related resources each hospital makes available. To gather clinical data, U.S. News sent a clinical questionnaire to 183 pediatric hospitals. The remaining one-sixth of the score derived from a survey of 450 pediatric specialists and subspecialists in each specialty over three years. The 4,500 physicians were asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty, setting aside location and expense. In the latest rankings for pediatric endocrinology and diabetes, Baystate ranked 48th nationally. The Baystate Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes program is composed of a team of providers, nurses, certified diabetes educators, nutritionists, a social worker, and staff who care for more than 500 children and adolescents with diabetes. With partial support from a grant from the state Department of Public Health, the Baystate pediatric-diabetes team has partnered with school nurses in Springfield and outlying communities to improve diabetes care in the schools.