Released on: July 15, 2008, 12:40 pm

Press Release Author: Steve Rosenthal / Doheny Eye Institute Public Relations

Industry: Healthcare

Press Release Summary: Doheny Eye Institute moved up one spot, from eighth in 2007
to seventh in 2008, in U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking of "America's Best
Hospitals."

Press Release Body: USC-affiliated hospitals placed among the best in the nation in
the U.S. News & World Report magazine's 19th annual rankings of "America's Best
Hospitals" in the July 21 issue. USC-affiliated hospitals included in the rankings
are Doheny Eye Institute, USC/Norris Cancer Hospital, USC University Hospital, and
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center.

The rankings are categorized by medical specialty, with the top 50 medical centers
listed for most specialties. Doheny ranked seventh in ophthalmology, climbing one
spot from a ranking of eighth in 2007.

Rancho Los Amigos ranked 16th in rehabilitation, USC/Norris ranked 45th in cancer,
and University Hospital ranked 45th in gynecology and 49th in neurology and
neurosurgery. This marks the first time USC/Norris Cancer Hospital has appeared on
the list.

The Best Hospitals guide ranks 170 medical centers nationwide in 16 specialties. To
be eligible for 12 of the 16 specialties, a hospital had to meet at least one of
three requirements: membership in the Council of Teaching Hospitals, affiliation
with a medical school, or availability of at least six of 13 key technologies, such
as robotic surgery. Eligible hospitals also had to have a specified volume in
certain procedures and conditions over three years or to have been nominated in the
magazine¹s yearly specialist survey. The rankings also took into account the
hospitals' reputations, death rates, and factors such as nurse staffing and
technology.

In four other specialties (including ophthalmology and rehabilitation), the ranking
is based solely on reputation, derived from the three most recent physician surveys.


The information for the rankings came from various sources, most prominently the
American Hospital Association's survey of member and nonmember hospitals.

The full list of hospital rankings is also available online at
www.usnews.com/besthospitals. Full data is available online for another 1,500
hospitals that are unranked.

Rankings for pediatric facilities appeared separately in the magazine's June 9
"America's Best Children's Hospital" issue. Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)
was ranked ninth among 143 children's hospitals and medical centers in the nation.
Complete rankings of children's hospitals and specialties are available at
www.health.usnews.com/pediatrics.

About Doheny Eye Institute: Doheny is located on the USC Health Sciences Campus.
Doheny stands among the top three recipients of research grants from the National
Eye Institute, which funds 80% of all vision research in America. The Institute\'s
research programs continually result in new diagnostic and treatment procedures and
are respected internationally for the quality of the research being conducted.


Web Site: http://www.doheny.org

Contact Details: Steve Rosenthal
Public Relations
Doheny Eye Institute DEI3025
1450 San Pablo St.
Los Angeles, CA 90033
323 442-7139
srosenthal@doheny.org