Primary Children’s received rankings in in all 11 pediatric specialties – including four top 25 rankings
U.S. News & World Report has ranked Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, in partnership with University of Utah Health, as one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals in the publication’s 2024 evaluation of the nation’s top pediatric hospitals. Located in Salt Lake City with a second campus in Lehi, Utah, Primary Children’s Hospital was ranked in all 11 pediatric specialties – including four top 25 rankings.
“This means that when you bring your child to Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, you can rest assured you’re in the best of hands, in a place where we put ‘The Child First and Always,’” said Angie Scartezina, RN, chief nursing officer of Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. “The Best Children’s Hospitals rankings demonstrate our relentless pursuit of excellence for patients, from our prestigious Magnet Hospital nursing designation, to our top-ranked neurology and neurosurgery patient outcomes and continued excellence in complex heart procedures.”
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals Rankings ranks the nation’s top 50 children’s hospitals in 11 specialties to help patients, their families, and healthcare providers make informed decisions about their healthcare.
U.S. News ranked Intermountain Primary Children’s in the Top 25 in these specialties:
- Neurology & Neurosurgery, #10 (with patient outcomes ranked first in the nation)
- Cardiology & Heart Surgery, #15
- Nephrology, #22
- Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, #25
Intermountain Primary Children’s is ranked in all other specialties measured for Best Children’s Hospitals, which are:
- Behavioral Health
- Cancer
- Diabetes & Endocrine Disorders
- Neonatal Care
- Orthopedics
- Pulmonology
- Urology
Primary Children’s tied for No. 1 for patient outcomes in neurology and neurosurgery, helping kids like 12-year-old Owen Jacobsen of St. George.
Owen started having seizures last year. First, he had a tremor in his arm. The tremors turned to seizures, and became frequent and severe.
The seizures turned life upside down for this St. George boy. Doctors at first thought Owen had a cyst in his brain. Later, he was diagnosed with brain cancer.
Luckily, the neurosurgeons at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital had a new, highly specialized way to help Owen. Instead of a craniotomy, they used Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy. They put a tiny probe into a small hole in Owen’s skull, and gently guided it to the tumor, where they applied heat to kill the cancer cells.
The healthy brain tissue was untouched. And within months, Owen healed and returned to seventh grade – and his very active lifestyle.
“He’s back to himself and doing so great, living a happy, vibrant life,” Owen’s mom Rindi Jacobsen said. “He’s better than ever. He’s thriving, and we feel so grateful and so much hope that this experience is in our rear-view mirror. It’s a miracle.”
For more information, visit intermountainhealthcare.org/primary-childrens.
About Intermountain Health
Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.