Representativeness of U.S. News & World Report Outcome and Volume Measures for Otolaryngology

Lucy J Xu; Vinay K Rathi; Michael M Johns 3rd; Aalok V Agarwala; Mark A Varvares; Matthew R Naunheim

doi:10.1002/lary.31623

Representativeness of U.S. News & World Report Outcome and Volume Measures for Otolaryngology

Laryngoscope. 2024 Sep;134(9):3881-3882. doi: 10.1002/lary.31623. Epub 2024 Jul 8.

Authors

Lucy J Xu^{1

2}, Vinay K Rathi³, Michael M Johns 3rd⁴, Aalok V Agarwala^{1

5}, Mark A Varvares^{1

2}, Matthew R Naunheim^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Mass Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
² Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
³ Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A.
⁴ Caruso Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
⁵ Department of Anesthesiology, Mass Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

PMID: 38973594
DOI: 10.1002/lary.31623

Abstract

Although outcomes account for 45% of the total ranking score in otolaryngology in the 2023-2024 U.S. News Best Hospitals rankings, little attention has been paid to the representativeness of their outcomes or volume analyses. Through retrospective review of finance data from an academic otolaryngology department, we found the overall 2023-2024 USNWR volume estimate accounted for only 10.0% (n = 2, usw 024/20,334) of all adult admissions and outpatient procedures and did not adequately represent the overall case mix or caseload.

MeSH terms

Humans
Otolaryngology* / statistics & numerical data
Outcome Assessment, Health Care
Retrospective Studies
United States