Awards, Recognition, and Professional Associations
AWARDS
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U.S. News and World Report Best Children's Hospital — Cancer, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Orthopedics
Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital has been recognized in U.S. News and World Report's 2012-13 Best Children's Hospitals rankings in three specialties — cancer, diabetes and endocrinology, and orthopedics. It marks the second year in a row that the Children's Hospital's orthopedic program is included in the rankings. Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital previously was included in the 2008 Best Children's Hospitals ranking, as well as the 2011-12 edition. "Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital deserves high praise for its accomplishments," said Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. "Penn State Hershey has a reservoir of dedication and expertise that helps the sickest kids. Our goal at U.S. News is to identify and call attention to pediatric centers like this one." The new rankings recognize the top 50 children's hospitals in 10 specialties: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, and urology. Eighty hospitals are ranked in at least one specialty.
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MagnetThe Magnet Recognition Program recognizes health care organizations that demonstrate excellence in nursing practice and adherence to national standards for the organization and delivery of nursing services. It is the highest level of recognition the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) affords to organized nursing services in the national and international health care communities.
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Best Doctors® in AmericaFounded in 1989 by doctors affiliated with the renowned Harvard University School of Medicine, Best Doctors is the leader in helping people get the best medical care.View the list of Penn State Hershey physicians recognized by Best Doctors.
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 | Castle Connolly Top DoctorsCastle Connolly Medical Ltd. (CCML) is a nationally-recognized company dedicated to helping consumers find the best healthcare available. To that end, CCML publishes America 's Top Doctors , an annual guide to the best doctors in the nation. View the list of Penn State Hershey physicians recognized by America's Top Doctors. | |
 | Highmark Blue Distinction Center for Complex and Rare Cancers*Highmark Blue Shield has named Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute - at both Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Lehigh Valley Hospital - as a Blue Distinction Center for Complex and Rare CancersSM. These facilities within participating Blue Cross and Blue Shield network service areas offer comprehensive inpatient cancer care programs for adults, delivered by multidisciplinary teams with subspecialty training and distinguished clinical expertise in treating complex and rare subtypes of cancer.
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 | Highmark Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care*Highmark Blue Shield has designated Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center as a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care. To date, more than 400 facilities nationwide have received a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care designation.
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 | Highmark Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement*Highmark Blue Shield has designated Penn State Hershey Bone and Joint Institute at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center as a Blue Distinction Center for hip and knee replacement. These Blue Distinction Center facilities have demonstrated their commitment to quality care, resulting in better overall outcomes for patients, by meeting objective clinical measures developed with input from expert physicians and medical organizations. Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement provide comprehensive inpatient knee and hip replacement services, including total knee replacement and total hip replacement surgeries. | |
 | Highmark Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery*Highmark Blue Shield has designated Penn State Hershey Spine Institute at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center as a Blue Distinction Center for spine surgery. These Blue Distinction Center facilities have demonstrated their commitment to quality care, resulting in better overall outcomes for spine surgery patients. Blue Distinction Centers for Spine Surgery provide comprehensive inpatient spine surgery services, including discectomy, fusion and decompression procedures. | |
 | CVI Top 100Hospitals operating with a high degree of community value are those that are low cost, low charge, and use a strong financial position to reinvest back into the provision of care at the facility. Hospitals with scores in the top twenty percent are designated as "Five-Star" facilities. A subset of this group is the "Top 100" which contains the highest scoring facilities in the country. Penn State Hershey was selected in 2006, 2007, and 2008 as a Top 100 and Five-Star winner, a Five-Star winner in 2009 and again named a Top 100 and a Five-Star winner in 2010.
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 | The Joint CommissionAn independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization's commitment to meeting certain performance standards.
In May, 2008, Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute became one of only a handful of programs nationwide and the only program in central Pennsylvania to earn the Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval™ for implanting ventricular assist devices (VADs) as destination therapy for patients with advanced heart failure. In 2009, the Heart and Vascular Institute was awarded another Gold Seal of Approval™ for their heart failure program. Penn State Hershey Medical Center is the first hospital in the Capital Region to earn the Gold Seal of Approval™ for stroke care. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) awarded the Medical Center Primary Stroke Center Certification following its on-site review of the hospital in September 2006.
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| Consumer Choice | NRC Consumer Choice Award Only 14 hospitals in Pennsylvania, including Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, received this honor for 2011-12. Penn State Hershey has now earned the Consumer Choice Award for the Harrisburg market for 13 consecutive years. | |
 | College of Medicine Named One of the Best Places to Work in AcademiaThe Scientist magazine's readers ranked Penn State College of Medicine as a Top 40 Best Places to Work in U.S. Academia, with job satisfaction and tenure listed as strengths. The sixth annual worldwide survey results, published in the November issue, also include Penn State University at University Park. |
MEMBERSHIPS
 | Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC)The Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC) is a non-profit organization that seeks to advance the nation's health and well-being through vigorous leadership of the nation's academic health centers.
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 | Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)The AAMC and the medical schools, teaching hospitals, academic and professional societies, faculty, residents, and students represented commit to improving the nation's health through medical education, research, and high-quality patient care. Members are dedicated to the communities they serve, committed to advancing the public good, and steadfast in their desire to earn and keep the public's trust for the role they are privileged to play in our society.
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 | Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP)The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania is a statewide membership services organization that advocates for nearly 250 Pennsylvania acute and specialty care, primary care, subacute care, long-term care, home health, and hospice providers, as well as the patients and communities they serve.
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 | University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC)The University HealthSystem Consortium is an alliance of 101 academic medical centers and 184 of their affiliated hospitals representing 90% of the nation's non-profit academic medical centers. Members are offered specific programs and services to improve clinical, operational and patient safety performance. The mission of the UHC is to advance knowledge, foster collaboration, and promote change to help members succeed in their markets.
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*Designation as Blue Distinction Centers® means these facilities' overall experience and aggregate data met objective criteria established in collaboration with expert clinicians' and leading professional organizations' recommendations. Individual outcomes may vary. To find out which services are covered under your policy at any facilities, please call your local Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield Plan.