Health: Best Hospitals in USA and Nepal

While hospitals, health institutions and medical colleges are mushrooming in Nepal, they have not been formally ranked, some offer good services while many do poor job. This blog is intended to help create list of best hospitals and encourage free and fair competition among hospitals in Nepal esp because most people in Nepal live in village and they do not know which hospital to go.

The recently published list of best hospitals in USA has helped encouraged generation of this blog. The list is for USA and may be helpful in case you are on the way to USA for your treatment. Health care in USA is far more expensive, and Nepal is becoming a premier site for health tourism. People just don't want to see Mt Everest, Pokhara and Annapurna Base Camp, they also want their MRI taken while here!

List of Top Hospitals

The 33 hospitals earning top scores were:

• Alta Bates Summit Medical Center-Summit Campus (Oakland, Calif.)
• Baystate Medical Center (Springfield, Mass.)
• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston)
• Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston)
• California Pacific Medical Center-Pacific Campus (San Francisco)
• Evanston Hospital (Evanston, Ill.)
• Hamot Medical Center (Erie, Pa.)
• Harper-Hutzel Hospital (Detroit)
• Henry Ford Hospital (Detroit)
• Jame Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (Columbus, Ohio)
• Lahey Clinic (Burlington, Mass.)
• Lehigh Valley Hospital (Allentown, Pa.)
• Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston)
• Mayo Clinic Jacksonville-Saint Luke's Hospital (Jacksonville, Fla.)
• Mayo Clinic Rochester-Saint Mary's Hospital (Rochester, Minn.)
• Montefiore Medical Center: Moses Division (Bronx, N.Y.)
• Montefiore Medical Center: Weiler Division (Bronx, N.Y.)
• Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital (Saint Louis Park, Minn.)
• Saint Mary's Mercy Medical Center (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
• Saint Thomas Hospital (Nashville,Tenn.)
• Sinai Hospital (Baltimore)
• Spectrum Health-Butterworth Campus (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
• Stanford Hospital and Clinics (Stanford, Calif.)
• Summa Health Systems Hospitals-Akron City Hospital (Akron, Ohio)
• University of California-UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles)
• University of Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore)
• University of North Carolina Hospitals at Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
• UPMC Presbyterian Part of UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside (Pittsburgh)
• Valley Hospital (Ridgewood, N.J.)
• Vanderbilt University Hospital (Nashville, Tenn.)
• Vassar Brothers Medical Center (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)
• Virginia Mason Medical Center (Seattle)
• William Beaumont Hospital (Royal Oak, Mich.)

Top Children's Hospitals

The eight top children's hospitals are:

• Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston (Atlanta)
• Children's Hospital of Michigan (Detroit)
• Children's Hospital of Orange County-Orange, Calif.
• Children's Hospitals and Clinic of Minnesota-Minneapolis (Minneapolis, Minn.)
• Children's Hospitals and Clinic of Minnesota-Saint Paul (Saint Paul, Minn.)
• Children's National Medical Center (Washington, D.C.)
• Cook Children's Medical Center (Fort Worth, Texas)
• Miller Children's Hospital (Long Beach, Calif.)

ST. LUKES

Family Medicine Residency, Bethlehem

"As a Top 25 Teaching Hospital (Solucient), St. Luke's is dedicated to creating an environment that fosters excellence in clinical care and the best in physician education and development. As physicians and educators, the graduate medical education department strives to harness the knowledge, skills, compassion and talents of the residents that join our program."

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The comprehensive training provided by the St. Luke's Family Medicine Residency Program gives residents the skills necessary to deliver quality health care. Graduates of this residency are able to

manage a broad spectrum of health care needs, ranging from preventive care to treatment of chronic disease states, in the context of the individual and the family.

to practice competently in either rural or urban settings, allowing greater flexibility in practice opportunities.

to achieve a balance in the demands of medicine, family and personal growth.

diverse career options ranging from traditional family medicine to working as hospitalists or in urgent care settings.

The Family Medicine Residency, with a complement of 18 residents, is dually accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American Osteopathic Association. The curriculum is designed to provide training in

preventive medicine,

health maintenance and

acute and chronic illnesses in both the adult and pediatric population.

The longitudinal experience in the outpatient Family Medicine Center provides experience in managing the health care of families over a three-year period. The program includes procedural training in colposcopy,

OMT,

nasolaryngoscopy and

minor surgical procedures.

Our residents also gain the benefit of working with fellows from the Sports Medicine Fellowship that we offer.

As part of the comprehensive training program, residents are required to participate in the following:

• Manage patients in an office-based practice throughout training
• Follow expectant mothers throughout pregnancy, labor and delivery and postpartum care
• Care for geriatric patients in residential and nursing homes
• Conduct scholarly activity by attending Journal Club and by completing a research project sponsored by a faculty member (full-time research staff are available to assist residents in their research projects)
• Participate in community health care outreach programs

We welcome you to be a part of the Family Medicine Residency Program.

Family Medicine Residency, Program Director St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network 2830 Easton Avenue Bethlehem, PA 18017 610-954-3550 Email: FamilyP@slhn.org

Residency Coordinator

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Please see the following pages for more information about the St. Luke's Family Medicine Residency Program:

Application Ps

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Application Process and Contact Information

All applications to St. Luke’s Family Medicine Residency Program must be made through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Applications made through the mail, electronic mail, or by telephone will not be considered.

The minimum eligibility requirements for the residency are:

1. All applicants must be graduates of a United States allopathic or osteopathic medical school or an international medical school recognized by the World Health Organization.
2. All graduates of international medical schools should have completed at least one (1) year of US clinical experience, including observerships.
3. All applicants should have three (3) letters of recommendation from clinical preceptors, preferably from the United States or Canada.
4. All applicants must have graduated from medical school within the past ten (10) years.
5. All applicants must have successfully passed their USMLE/COMLEX examinations within a maximum of two (2) attempts.
6. The St. Luke’s Family Medicine Residency Program sponsors both J-1 and H-1B visas. Applicants who plan to apply for a H-1B visa must successfully complete USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3 prior to the NRMP match in March.
7. All applicants must demonstrate through their personal statement and/or letters of recommendation a strong commitment to the philosophy of the specialty of Family Medicine and the principles of the St. Luke’s Family Medicine Residency.
8. The deadline for application is December 1 of the current interviewing season.

Please feel free to contact us with any additional questions:

Family Medicine Residency, Program Director
St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network
2830 Easton Avenue
Bethlehem, PA 18017
610-954-3550
Email: FamilyP@slhn.org

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Program directors are full-time hospital employees, supported by dedicated faculty, both full-time and voluntary. All St. Luke's residency programs are accredited by either by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the AOA or the Council on Podiatric Medical Education.

St. Luke's develops skillful and compassionate physicians by providing valuable clinical experiences and conducting regular academic conferences and lectures. St. Luke's actively promotes an academic atmosphere through its affiliations with the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Medical students from these institutions rotate through all specialties.

Medical Staff
More than 1,400 physicians practice on the active staff in addition to full-time salaried faculty and subspecialists. Eighty-six percent of the medical staff is certified or eligible by their respective specialty and subspecialty boards. Staff membership at St. Luke's Hospital requires active participation in all educational activities.

Support Staff
Patient care is delivered as a team effort. St. Luke's Hospital has laboratory personnel, an IV team, EKG personnel, case managers and subspecialty-registered radiology technologists. This support staff serves to maximize the resident's time so that he/she can concentrate on the medical education.

Education Center and Estes Library
The 36,000-square foot Priscilla Payne Hurd Education Center features two auditoriums and 11 classrooms, all with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, and is shared with St. Luke's School of Nursing, the oldest continuously operating, hospital-based diploma school of nursing in the nation.

An expansive, 8,000-square foot library is conveniently located in the Priscilla Payne Hurd Pavilion near the Education Center. The library features a comprehensive collection of medical texts and journals, a 21-station networked computer laboratory connected to all available medical search engines, designated research and study areas and computer-assisted learning programs. The library is staffed by two master’s-trained librarians supported by library aides from morning until early evening Mondays through Fridays. Residents have access 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week through an electronic key access system.

Research Institute
Directed by an experienced, full-time PhD research statistician, the Research Institute helps faculty and house staff in clinical research design and data analysis. Every year, the institute assists with papers that are presented at national conferences, regional meetings and/or accepted for publication. In addition, the staff of the Research Institute organizes an annual “research day,” during which residents have the opportunity to showcase research projects from each of the training programs.

Salary and Benefits
The St. Luke’s graduate medical education program offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package. Residents who have successfully completed the St. Luke’s residency program and moved into practice have commented that the cost of living in the Lehigh Valley is lower than in nearby metropolitan areas. They benefited from comparable salaries with more buying power.

For specific salary levels for each year, see Salary and Benefits.

Living and Working in the Lehigh Valley St. Luke’s Hospital is located in southeastern Pennsylvania’s scenic Lehigh Valley, a tri-city area that more than 1,500,000 residents call home. The Lehigh Valley boasts 14,000 leading-edge companies and 11 colleges and universities. Visit Living and Working in the Lehigh Valley for more information.

Family Medicine - “Life-long learning. Variety. The next challenge.” Those are the words she uses to describe the journey she's been living. Her journey has taken her from her home country of Brazil to St. Luke's Hospital & Health Network. “I've found all those things in family medicine,” she says. “This field, this program and this hospital all suit my personality.” According to HER, it's hard as a medical student to know just how good a residency program really is. “You have to ask the right questions - will I get value out of my daily routine? Will I get hands-on experience? Are the attendings approachable? At St. Luke's, I found the answer to all those questions to be 'yes.'” She believes all her experiences at St. Luke's are centered around one concept - excellent medicine. “That includes everything from academics to attendings to technology,” she explains. “I'm learning how to care for patients, how to be compassionate and how to assume the responsibility of being a physician. “A residency is a very intense experience,” she continues. “In family medicine, every day is different, every month is a different field. You work in different settings and gain a truly unique combination of experiences. But everyday you become more comfortable, more knowledgeable and more prepared. Ultimately, that is the benchmark against which a residency program should be measured.”

The St. Luke’s graduate medical education program offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits. The cost of living in the Lehigh Valley is lower and they found that they had more buying power than in the large cities.

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Benefits

Insurance

• Choice of health care plans
• Dental insurance for the resident and his/her dependents (after 6 months of employment)
• Life insurance equal to the yearly salary
• Long-term disability insurance (after 6 months of employment)
• Option to purchase short-term disability insurance
• Malpractice insurance

Paid Time Off

• Three weeks vacation for residents yearly
• Two personal days yearly
• Sick time will accrue at a rate of one day per month

Education

• Book allowance - $250 per year
• Payment of licensing and examination fees required for advancement in the program

Conference and Travel Allowance

• Funding for conferences for each of the last two years with the approval of the program director.
• One additional conference yearly with a $1,500 stipend when a resident at any level of training has a paper accepted for presentation at a meeting.

Other Benefits

• Prescription plan for the resident and dependents
• Free meals on-call
• Free on-site covered parking
• Three free lab coats
• Employee assistance program
• Child development center (adjacent to St. Luke’s Hospital – Bethlehem Campus)
• Credit union membership
• Membership in the St. Luke's Health & Fitness Center
• Tax sheltered annuities - option to establish payroll deductions for pre-tax contributions
• Flexible spending accounts - option to establish pre-tax deduction to pay for dependent (child or elder care)

  St Luke's Hospital Program Identifier: 120-41-21-603 Specialty: Family Medicine

  Basic information

  Last updated: 08/13/2007 Survey received: 07/11/2007 Program Director:
  St Luke's Family Practive Res 2830 Easton Ave Bethlehem, PA 18017-4204		Tel: (610) 954-3550 Fax: (610) 954-3693 E-mail: langanr@slhn.org

  Person to contact for more information about the program:
  St Luke's Family Practice Res 2830 Easton Ave Bethlehem, PA 18017-4204		Tel: (610) 954-3550 Fax: (610) 954-3693 E-mail: schwarm@slhn.org
  Web Address: http://www.slhhn.org/

  Accredited length		3
  Required length		3
  Accepting applications for 2008-2009		Yes
  Will be accepting applications for 2009-2010		Yes
  Program start dates		July, August, Negotiable
  Participates in ERAS		Yes
  Affiliated with U.S. government		No

  
  

  Institution list
  Sponsor:	St Luke's Hospital - Bethlehem, PA

  General information

  Comments: Excellent training in both the inpatient and outpatient setting under supervision of outstanding full-time faculty. Sports Medicine fellowship affiliated with residency program.
  Total program size	Yr1	Yr2	Yr3	Total
  Positions	7	5	6	18

  
  

  Primary teaching site		St Luke's Hospital
  Primary teaching site uses electronic medical records		Yes
  Program best described as		Community hospital, university affiliated
  Requires previous GME		No
  Offers preliminary positions		No
  Applicants must have passed USMLE Step 2-CS before starting a first-year position in 2008		Yes
  Participates in National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) in 2008 for 2008 or 2009 positions		Yes Code(s): 1605120C0
  Participant in San Francisco match		No
  Participant in another matching program		No
  Interviews conducted last year for first year positions		75
  Required letters of recommendation		3
  Latest date for applications for 2008-2009		12/01/2007
  Interview period		09/30/2007 -- 01/05/2008
  Earliest date for applications for 2009-2010		09/01/2008
  Latest date for applications for 2009-2010		12/01/2008
  Interview period		09/30/2008 -- 01/05/2009

  Program faculty

  Faculty	Physician	Non-physician
  Full-time paid	8	0
  Part-time paid	2	1
  Total	10	1

  
  

  50.0%		Percentage of full-time paid female physician faculty
  0.5 to 1		Ratio of full-time equivalent paid faculty to positions

  Work schedule

  65	Avg. hrs/wk on duty during first year (excluding beeper call)
  24	Maximum consecutive hours on duty during first year (excluding beeper call)
  1.5	Average number of 24-hour off duty periods per week during first year
  Yes	Moonlighting allowed within institution
  Yes	Night float system (Residents do not participate during first year)
  Yes	Offers awareness and management of fatigue in residents/fellows
  Call schedule Yr 1 Yr 2 Yr 3 Most taxing schedule and frequency per year q6d-12mo q9d-4wk q9d-4wk Beeper or home call (weeks/year) 0 4 3

  NA=Not Applicable
  NGO = Negotiable
  OTH = Other
  

  Educational environment

  Educational setting	Year 1
  Avg. hours/week of regularly scheduled lectures/conferences	8.0
  Training at hospital outpatient clinics	20.0%
  Training in ambulatory non-hospital community-based settings, e.g., physician offices, community clinics	20.0%

  Educational benefits
  No		Curriculum on management of tobacco dependence
  Yes		Program to assess/enhance medical professionalism
  No		Debt management/financial counseling
  Yes		Formal program to develop teaching skills
  Yes		Formal mentoring program
  No		Formal program to foster interdisciplinary teamwork
  Yes		Continuous quality improvement training
  Yes		International experience
  Yes		Resident/fellow retreats
  Yes		Off-campus electives
  Yes		Hospice/home care experience
  Yes		Cultural competence awareness
  No		Instruction in medical Spanish or other non-English language
  Yes		Alternative/complementary medicine curriculum
  Yes		Training in identifying and reporting of domestic violence/abuse
  No		MPH/MBA or PhD training
  Required (4 wks)		Research rotation

  Educational features
  No		Offers additional training or educational experience beyond accredited length
  Yes		Offers a primary care track
  Yes		Offers a rural track
  No		Offers a women's health track
  No		Offers a hospitalist track
  No		Offers a research track/nonaccredited fellowship
  No		Offers an other track

  Resident evaluation
  Yes		Yearly specialty in-service examination required
  Yes		Patient surveys
  No		Portfolio system
  Yes		360 degree evaluations
  Yes		Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE)

  
  

  Program evaluation
  Yes	Program graduation rates
  Yes	Board certification rates
  Yes	In-training examination scores
  Yes	Performance-based assessment scores (eg, OSCE)

  Employment policies and benefits

  Yes		Part-time/shared positions
  Yes		On-site child care
  No		Subsidized child care
  Yes		Allowance/stipend for professional expenses
  Yes		Leave for educational meetings/conferences
  Yes		Moving allowance
  No		Housing stipend
  Yes		On-call meal allowance
  Yes		Free parking
  Yes		PDAs
  Yes		Placement assistance upon completion of program
  Yes		Cross coverage in case of illness/disability

  
  

  Compensation and leave	Grad Yr 1	Grad Yr 2	Grad Yr 3	Grad Yr 4
  Salary compensation	$47090	$49961	$51953	$54203
  Vacation weeks	3	3	3	3
  Sick days	12	12	12	12
  NGO = Negotiable

  
  

  Maximum number of paid days for family/medical leave	NGO
  Maximum number of unpaid days for family/medical leave	NGO

  
  

  Major medical benefits
  Major medical insurance for residents	Fully paid by institution
  Major medical insurance for dependents	Fully paid by institution
  Outpatient mental health insurance	Fully paid by institution
  Inpatient mental health insurance	Fully paid by institution
  Group life insurance	Fully paid by institution
  Dental insurance	Fully paid by institution
  Disability insurance	Fully paid by institution
  Disability insurance for occupationally-acquired HIV	Fully paid by institution
  Medical insurance coverage begins	When resident/fellow starts program