Philadelphia (July 1999)--Magee Rehabilitation has again been rated as one of America's leading rehabilitation hospitals in U. S.News & World Report's tenth annual ranking of hospitals. Magee ranked 17th in rehabilitation, moving up a notch from last year's listings. The rankings result from a rolling three-year survey of 150 randomly selected board-certified physicians in each of 16 specialties.

The physicians nominate hospitals without regard to location or expense. As U.S.News reports, the survey "is the only effort to compare hospitals fairly and objectively on a national scale," with the goal to "identify facilities to which consumers can turn when they need the best level of care in any of 16 specialties." The survey was conducted for U. S.News by the National Opinion Research Center, a not-for-profit corporation affiliated with the University of Chicago, and which has conducted healthcare research since 1942.

"We are extremely pleased to be recognized again by physicians as one of America's finest hospitals," stated William E. Staas, Jr., MD, FACP, President and Medical Director of Magee Rehabilitation. "The honor affirms our proud tradition of service to people with temporary or permanent disabilities." Dr. Staas continued, "The recognition is a tribute to the dedication and state-of-the-art expertise of Magee's physicians and staff who are committed to help patients achieve their highest possible level of independence."

Magee Rehabilitation, which celebrated its 40th Anniversary last year, is Philadelphia's first hospital dedicated solely to providing rehabilitation toward the goal of physical independence. In 1978, in partnership with Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Magee was federally designated as the Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center for the Delaware Valley. It is only one of 18 such centers in the nation today. In the past 20 years, more than 2500 spinal cord injury patients have been treated at Magee. Also, Magee developed the first Brain Injury Program in the nation to be certified by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. Magee's lifetime rehabilitation and wellness programs also include stroke, neuromuscular, amputation, orthopedic injury, joint replacement, geriatric illnesses, sports injury and work injury.