The Role of Reputation in U.S. News & World Report's Rankings of the Top 50 American Hospitals

摘要

Background: U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings of the top 50 American hospitals in 12 specialties are based on a combination of subjective and objective measures of quality. Although the rankings have been criticized for emphasizing the subjective reputation of hospitals too strongly, the role of reputation in determining the relative standings of the top 50 hospitals has not been quantified. nnObjective: To quantify the role of reputation in determining the relative standings of the top 50 hospitals in the 2009 edition of U.S. News & World Report's rankings. nnDesign: Cross-sectional study. nnSetting: The top 50 hospitals in each of 12 specialties. nnMeasurements: Rankings based on the total U.S. News score and on a subjective reputation score.