University of Iowa Children’s Hospital has been ranked in seven specialties in U.S. News & World Report’s 2013-14 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings.

UI Children’s Hospital ranked in cancer (30); cardiology and heart surgery (34); diabetes and endocrinology (43); nephrology (25); neurology and neurosurgery (30); orthopedics (27); and pulmonology (47).

The rankings highlight the top 50 U.S. hospitals in each of these pediatric specialties: cancer; cardiology and heart surgery; diabetes and endocrinology;gastroenterologyand GI surgery;neonatology;nephrology; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics;pulmonology; and urology. Eighty-seven hospitals ranked in at least one of the 10 specialties.

“UI Children’s Hospital deserves high praise,” says health rankings editor Avery Comarow. “Ranking shows the dedication and expertise that UI Children’s Hospital brings to the care of children who need those qualities the most. We think it is important to identify and call attention to pediatric centers like this one.”

U.S. News introduced the Best Children’s Hospitals rankings in 2007 to help families of sick children find the best medical care available. The rankings offer families an exclusive look at quality-related information at the individual hospital level.

Each hospital’s reputation among doctors was only a small part of what U.S. News factored into its rankings. Three-quarters of each hospital’s score was determined through an analysis of patient outcomes and data on the structural resources each hospital has for pediatric care. To gather data, U.S. News used two surveys: a clinical questionnaire sent to 179 pediatric hospitals and, for the reputational assessment, a survey of 150 pediatric specialists and subspecialists in each specialty. The 1,500 physicians were asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty, setting aside location and expense.

“This is the fifth consecutive year we have been ranked as one of the top children’s hospitals in the United States, which is a testament to the determination and dedication of our hospital staff and their expertise in caring for pediatric patients and families,” says Scott Turner, executive director of UI Children’s Hospital. “We are honored to be the only hospital in Iowa nationally ranked for children’s health care, and this recognition reflects our continuing commitment to all of Iowa’s children.”

Survival rates, adequacy of nurse staffing, procedure volume, and much more can be viewed on health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/pediatric-rankings and will be published in the U.S. News Best Hospitals 2014 guidebook, available beginning in August.