U.S. News & World Report has ranked University of Iowa Children’s Hospital in eight specialties in the 2016–17 Best Children’s Hospital rankings. UI Children’s Hospital is the only hospital in Iowa nationally ranked for pediatric care.

UI Children’s Hospital ranked in cancer (27); cardiology and heart surgery (30); diabetes and endocrinology (23); neonatology (28); nephrology (26); orthopedics (35); pulmonology (35); and urology (24).

The U.S. News Best Children’s Hospital rankings help parents determine where to get the best medical care for their children. The rankings highlight the top 50 U.S. pediatric facilities in 10 specialties, from cancer to urology. Seventy-nine hospitals ranked in at least one specialty.

 “We have been named one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report each year since 2009,” says Raphael Hirsch, physician-in-chief of UI Children’s Hospital and chair and department executive officer of the UI Stead Family Department of Pediatrics. “As the only children’s hospital in Iowa to be nationally ranked for children’s health care, this is a distinction for which we are extremely proud. Moreover, it underscores our expertise in pediatric medicine and our commitment to children and their families. To be included among the nation’s best is a reflection of the outstanding care and service our doctors, nurses, and staff members deliver every day.”

The new U.S. News rankings arrive as work continues on a new, 14-floor (12 above ground, two below) children’s hospital. Construction on the $360 million project, which includes 507,000 square feet of new construction, will be completed by late summer. The new children’s hospital will open in December 2016.

“This is an exciting time for children’s medicine in Iowa,” says Scott Turner, executive director of UI Children’s Hospital. “The planning and building of our new facility has truly been a collaborative effort and a remarkable journey over the past several years. Every decision and detail related to our new children’s hospital has been considered with children and families in mind. Our new facility will offer families a welcoming, healing environment and allow our doctors, nurses, and staff to continue to provide the high-quality care and service that makes us one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals according to U.S. News.”

“The Best Children’s Hospitals highlight pediatric centers that offer exceptional care for the kids who need the most help,” says U.S. News Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. “Day in and day out, they deliver state-of-the-art medical care.”

The U.S. News Best Children’s Hospital rankings rely on clinical data and an annual survey of pediatric specialists. Survival rates, adequacy of nurse staffing, procedure volume, and much more can be viewed at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/pediatric-rankings. The rankings will be published in the U.S. News Best Hospitals 2017 guidebook, available for pre-sale Aug. 1.

For more information, visit the U.S. News Best Children’s Hospital list, and use #BestHospitals on Facebook and Twitter.