MUSC Children's Hospital has been named 28th among the best Children's Hospitals in the nation by Child Magazine.  Additionally, MUSC's Emergency Services were rated as one of the Top 10 in the country.

To be considered for the survey, a hospital had to be a full voting member of the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions; 116 qualify.  The field was narrowed to 100, based on each hospital's evaluation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), an agency that visits each hospital and grades it on medication use, anesthesia care, infection control, and more.

All of the semi-finalists received a detailed, rigorous 247-question survey developed in conjunction with a team of advisors consisting of leaders in the pediatric health care field. The questionnaire covered:

  Survival rates for heart surgeries, organ transplants and premature births
  Staff qualifications
  Nurse-to-patient ratios
  Research funding and the number of clinical trials
  The availability of playrooms, lending libraries
  The availability of activities to help a child's hospital experience seem less frightening
  Family services like support groups and sleeping accommodations for parents.

For the overall survey, key areas such as patient safety, staffing, and research funding were scored first.  Hospitals that didn't make the top two-thirds in these areas were eliminated from contention.  The winners were chosen from the remaining list.