For the second year in a row, U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, named MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach among the top children’s hospitals for Pediatric Pulmonology & Lung Surgery in its 2021-22 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings.

U.S. News introduced the Best Children’s Hospitals rankings in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available. The rankings are the most comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric hospitals.

Miller Children’s & Women’s is among 50 pediatric centers in the nation ranked for care of serious respiratory problems in children. Successful management of diseases such as asthma, cystic fibrosis and neuromuscular weakness disorders were recognized during the ranking process.

“Respiratory diseases affect millions of children and include known conditions, such as asthma and premature lung disease, to less known rare diseases,” says Inderpal Randhawa, M.D., medical director, Children’s Pulmonary Institute, Miller Children’s & Women’s. “These conditions require clinical research, long-term treatment and monitoring by physicians and specialized centers focused on specific lung diseases. Our Children’s Pulmonary Institute is dedicated to this mission and the U.S. News national ranking reflects our Institute's desire to advance the care of children afflicted by the spectrum of lung disease.”

In addition to being nationally ranked, Miller Children’s & Women’s is the only free-standing children’s hospital in California, and only one of 13 hospitals in the nation, to receive the Disease Specific Certification in Pediatric Asthma from The Joint Commission - the leading health care accreditor in the U.S.

Miller Children’s & Women’s also has one of only four Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) Clinic’s in the Western U.S. and the only one in Southern California. Primary ciliary dyskinesia is a rare, inherited, genetic disorder characterized by chronic respiratory tract infections.

“The past year has been a challenging one for children’s hospitals, as many patients delayed care due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Graham Tse, M.D., chief medical officer, Miller Children’s & Women’s. “In the face of those challenges, our Children’s Pulmonary Institute continues to excel and establish Miller Children’s & Women’s as a regional destination for thousands of children who need specialized pediatric pulmonary care.”

In addition to a national ranking for pediatric pulmonology, Miller Children’s & Women’s was ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the Pacific Region.

The Best Children's Hospitals methodology factors objective measures such as patient outcomes, including mortality and infection rates, as well as available clinical resources and compliance with best practices. To calculate the Best Children’s Hospitals rankings, U.S. News gathered relevant data from children’s hospitals in early 2020 and from pediatric physicians and other healthcare organizations in 2021; because of the pandemic, data collection from children’s hospitals was not repeated in 2021.

“When choosing a hospital for a sick child, many parents want specialized expertise, convenience and caring medical professionals,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “The Best Children's Hospitals rankings have always highlighted hospitals that excel in specialized care. As the pandemic continues to affect travel, finding high-quality care close to home has never been more important.”