Immediate Release

Parkland Memorial Hospital celebrates 13 years of being the 'Best' Parkland gets top honors in gynecology and kidney disease

DALLAS-For the 13th consecutive year, Parkland Memorial Hospital joins an elite group of hospitals ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the best in the country. The 17th annual listing of "America's Best Hospitals" appears in the hard copy edition of the magazine, which hits newsstands July 10. For 2006, Parkland ranks in two specialties based on excellence. They are gynecology and kidney disease. "Thanks to the support of the community, Parkland has the opportunity to serve Dallas County by providing quality health care to those in need. It is important that Dallas County celebrates the excellent care and service offered to them by their hospital," said Dr. Ron J. Anderson, Parkland's president and chief executive officer. "This honor would not be possible without the exceptional doctors, nurses and staff taking care of patients 24 hours a day." Just 176 hospitals out of 5,189 medical centers in the United States scored high enough to be ranked this year. To be considered, the hospitals must meet at least one of three standards: be a member of the Council of Teaching Hospitals, be affiliated with a medical school, or offer at least nine out of 18 select technological services to patients. U.S. News & World Report then asks 200 board-certified specialists in each specialty to name the hospitals they consider best in the field. Reputation, quality measures, staff-to-patient ratios, technology and mortality ratios are also evaluated for the ranking, as well as data from annual surveys by the American Hospital Association and its members. For more information about Parkland and "America's Best Hospitals," visit the magazine's web site at www.usnews.com.

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For Further Information Contact: Melissa Turner 214.590.8054