U.S. News & World Report recently named several Loma Linda University Medical Center physicians to the U.S. News Top Doctors list, a free searchable directory found at www.usnews.com/top-doctors.

The list includes nearly 30,000 peer-nominated physicians across the country.

Of the top-ranked doctors at LLUMC, U.S. News identified six physicians as being in the top one percent in the nation in their specialty.

The top Loma Linda doctors, as identified by U.S. News, their area of specialty, and if they graduated from Loma Linda University School of Medicine, are:

• Stephen Ashwal, pediatric neurologist (top 1 percent in the nation)
• Leonard L. Bailey, heart surgeon (top 1 percent in the nation), LLU grad
• Yvonne F. Fanous, pediatric allergist-immunologist (top 1 percent in the nation)
• Sarah M. Roddy, pediatric neurologist (top 1 percent in the nation), LLU grad
• Carl John Rossi, radiation oncologist (top 1 percent in the nation)
• Beverly Wood, diagnostic radiologist (top 1 percent in the nation)
• Antranik Agop Bedros, pediatric hematologist-oncologist
• Ingrid Kristine Blomquist, infectious disease specialist, LLU grad
• Murray E. Brandstater, physiatrist
• George Chonkich, ENT-Otolaryngologist, LLU grad
• Anthony Francis Firek, endocrinologist
• Philip Gold, pulmonologist
• Aijaz Hashmi, pediatric cardiologist
• Kenneth Roy Jutzy, cardiologist, LLU grad
• J. David Killeen, vascular surgeon, LLU grad
• Takkin Lo, pulmonologist, LLU grad
• John Lamont Murdoch, endocrinologist, LLU grad
• William Carleton Patton, reproductive endocrinologist, LLU grad
• Gordon W. Peterson, neurologist, LLU grad
• Rhodes Rigsby, internist, LLU grad
• Antonio Eduardo Robles, surgeon
• Lori Shutter, neurologist
• Lauren Simon, family medicine doctor, LLU MPH grad
• Jerry D. Slater, therapeutic radiologist, LLU grad
• Siegmund Teichman, nephrologist, LLU grad
• Robert Jacob Wagner, Jr., obstetrician-gynecologist, LLU grad
• Raymond Y. Wong, internist, LLU grad

U.S. News Top Doctors was created in collaboration with Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., publisher of America's Top Doctors and other consumer health guides.

It draws from Castle Connolly's database of Top Doctors, all recommended for their clinical skills by other doctors and individually vetted by a physician-led research team. Consumers can search for a Top Doctor by location, hospital affiliation, and a full range of specialties and subspecialties.

“We are very proud of our physicians,” Loma Linda University Medical Center CEO Ruthita Fike said. “We very much appreciate all our doctors and their selfless service and commitment to our patients and community.”

U.S. News Top Doctors builds on the Best Hospitals rankings, which U.S. News updated last week. Health consumers can now see which Top Doctors practice at the 700-plus hospitals in the 22nd annual rankings by visiting www.usnews.com/best-hospitals .

"For decades, the Best Hospitals rankings have helped guide patients who need an especially high level of care to hospitals that excel in providing it," said Avery Comarow, U.S. News Health Rankings Editor. "Top Doctors has a similar mission. We want to help consumers find the doctors in their area who come highly recommended by other physicians."

Castle Connolly assembled the roster of Top Doctors by soliciting nominations from physicians in academic medical centers, specialty hospitals, and regional hospitals and physicians in private practice. Its research team then reviewed each nominee's training, achievements, and appointments, among other credentials.

"We believe this brings important information on excellent physicians directly into the hands of consumers," said Dr. John J. Connolly, President and CEO of Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. "Given the unsettled future of the delivery and financing of healthcare and the changing nature of physician practices, it is critical that consumers have trusted sources of high-quality information about both doctors and hospitals."

The echocardiology laboratory at Loma Linda University Medical Center and Children’s Hospital has been awarded national accreditation, joining a select group of laboratories in the state that meet or exceed national standards.

The accreditation from the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories means that the hospital’s pediatric echocardiology laboratory has met rigorous standards, and whose staff possesses high levels of technical expertise. The laboratory is the only acute care provider within a 20-mile radius that is currently accredited in pediatric echocardiology services.

“We are very proud to receive this accreditation from ICAEL,” said Zareh Sarrafian, chief operating officer of Loma Linda University Medical Center and administrator of Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital.

“The accreditation recognizes the efforts and hard work of our team to provide the best care possible for our patients, as well as provides added assurance to patients and their families of the high standards we set for our work,” he said.

ICAEL is a national accrediting body that aims to ensure high quality patient care and to promote health care by providing a mechanism to encourage and recognize quality echocardiographic diagnostic evaluations through a process of voluntary accreditation.