The 21 are among 27 physicians statewide included in the most recent edition of America's Top Doctors for Cancer. The guide identifies the nation's most outstanding physicians for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers in adults and children.

The physicians -- who either practice at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, IU Hospital, Methodist Hospital or Riley Hospital for Children, which are affiliated with Clarian Health -- are:

John Coleman III, M.D. (plastic surgery)
James Croop, M.D., Ph.D. (pediatric hematology/oncology)
Lawrence Einhorn, M.D. (medical oncology)
Robert Fallon, M.D., Ph.D. (pediatric hematology-oncology)
Sherif Farag, M.D., Ph.D. (hematology)
Richard Foster, M.D. (urology)
Robert Goulet Jr., M.D. (surgery)
Paul Haut, M.D., F.A.A.P. (pediatric hematology/oncology)
Valerie Jackson, M.D. (diagnostic radiation)
Michael Koch, M.D. (urology)
Keith Lillemoe, M.D. (surgery)
Patrick Loehrer Sr., M.D. (medical oncology)
David Plager, M.D. (ophthalmology)
Frederick Rescorla, M.D. (pediatric surgery)
Douglas Rex, M.D. (gastroenterology)
Scott Shapiro, M.D. (neurological surgery)
George Sledge Jr., M.D. (medical oncology)
Frederick Stehman, M.D. (gynecologic oncology)
Chandru Sundaram, M.D. (urology)
Thomas Ulbright, M.D. (pathology)
Terry Vik, M.D. (pediatric hematology-oncology)

"America's Top Doctors for Cancer has again recognized the expertise of the faculty physicians at the IU Simon Cancer Center and our other patient facilities," D. Craig Brater, M.D., dean of the IU School of Medicine, said. "The recognition is much appreciated and serves as a reminder that their skill, care and compassion are recognized by their patients, colleagues and others nationwide."

Published by Castle Connolly, the guide – now in its sixth edition -- contains detailed profiles of more than 2,400 of America's leading cancer specialists across more than 40 medical specialties. The doctors are selected by a physician-led research team based on comprehensive national surveys of physicians and medical leaders.

When selecting a doctor for cancer, or any specialty for that matter, consider these factors:

Medical education
Residency and fellowships
Board certification
Hospital appointment
Academic and other professional titles
Insurance accepted
Personality

The IU Simon Cancer Center, a partnership between the IU School of Medicine and Clarian Health, is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center that provides patient care in Indiana. To learn more about the IU Simon Cancer Center, visit www.cancer.iu.edu.

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Of 98 AMCs included in the analysis, Methodist Hospital is one of only five to earn the Quality Leadership Award. AMCs were assessed across a broad spectrum of care including safety, timeliness, effectiveness, efficiency, equity and patient-centeredness. The AMCs ranked among the top five in the nation include:

Methodist Hospital - Indianapolis
Mayo Clinic - Rochester, MN
University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics - Salt Lake City, UT
University Medical Center - Tuscon, AZ
Lehigh Valley Health Network - Allentown, PA

Methodist Hospital’s receipt of the Quality Leadership Award points to Clarian’s consistent focus on patient-centered care.

"At Clarian Health, the patient really is at the center of all we do. Our patients, who come to us from across the globe, can be assured they are receiving high quality, leading-edge care," said Daniel F. Evans, Jr., president and chief executive officer. "We are honored and pleased that UHC has again recognized Methodist Hospital with this award for the fourth consecutive year."

"National recognition is well-deserved for these organizations that have distinguished themselves as high-performing institutions for complex environments. I salute the top performers and extend our congratulations to all AMC leaders and employees who daily demonstrate a passion for improving patient care and operational effectiveness,”"said Irene M. Thompson, UHC president and chief executive officer.

The award will be presented today at the 10th annual UHC Quality & Safety Fall Forum in San Diego. Methodist Hospital officials - John Kohne, MD, chief operating officer; Michael Niemeier, MD, chief medical officer; and Linda Chase, chief nursing officer – will accept the award. Dr. Kohne and colleagues from other hospitals will speak about progress in the areas of enhanced communication, collaboration and innovation.

A Teaching Hospital
Clarian is part of an academic medical center that includes Indiana University School of Medicine. The collaboration designates Methodist and Indiana University Hospitals as institutions of learning and knowledge transfer.

"We work in close collaboration with Clarian to deliver quality, patient-focused care. This recognition amply acknowledges that fact about which we are proud," said D. Craig Brater, MD, dean, IU School of Medicine. "Educating our students and training our residents in such venues fosters a generation of physicians dedicated to patient-focused care with an emphasis on quality and accountability."

Emphasis on Quality
Clarian has been a strong advocate for an increased focus on quality and transparency to deliver enhanced health care to consumers at a fair cost and to elevate the quality of care provided.

"We have made a concerted effort to use technology to empower our patients and to elevate the standards of care," continued Evans. "The recognition for Methodist Hospital by UHC validates we are taking the right steps to ensure the delivery of quality, patient-focused care."

Patient Safety Collaboration
The UHC honor also reflects on Clarian's long-standing commitment to patient safety. Clarian has been an active participant in the Indianapolis Coalition for Patient Safety. This organization of medical and clinical leaders from central Indiana hospitals meets regularly to share information and work together to improve patient safety, enhance clinical outcomes and work to ensure that each hospital has the best clinical practices in place. The goal is to achieve zero errors at all hospitals.

"All academic medical centers are working earnestly in the area of patient safety," said Kohne. "For Methodist to be ranked as a Top Performer for the fourth consecutive year demonstrates our level of commitment to patient care and safety."

More on the UHC Quality and Accountability Study
The UHC Quality and Accountability Study has been conducted annually since 2005 when UHC produced its first landmark study that examined key measures of organizational performance in quality and safety. The Institute of Medicine's six domains of care continue to be used as a guide in structuring the performance categories. The focus has centered on the outcomes of care to identify associated characteristics of high-performing academic medical centers.

About Clarian Health - As a preeminent leader in clinical care, education, research and service, Clarian Health is Indiana's most comprehensive academic medical center and one of the busiest hospital systems in the United States. Based in Indianapolis, Clarian is comprised of multiple hospitals and health centers throughout the state and maintains a strong partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine–the nation's second largest medical school and a global leader in medical education and research.

About University HealthSystem Consortium - UHC is based in Oak Brook, Ill, a Chicago suburb, and has 103 AMCs and 219 of their affiliated hospitals as members, representing more than 90% of the nation's nonprofit AMCs. UHC provides data products and services to members to support clinical, operational, financial, and supply chain improvement. UHC's Patient Safety Net® serves as the patient safety system for UHC's Patient Safety Organization, one of the first 10 named by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in 2008.

For more information, contact Margie Smith-Simmons at 317.962.4085.

Each of the newly modernized suites has been expanded to accommodate the most advanced surgical tools, imaging technologies and surgical navigation systems that will assist Clarian’s clinical teams in making the best decisions for patients with complex neurological disorders.

The suites have also been outfitted with remote viewing capabilities that will enable surgeons to consult on difficult cases room-to-room or with their partners in the office, as well as teach and share techniques with colleagues across the country and throughout the world.

"By renovating the neurosurgical operating suites for our nationally ranked neuroscience program, we can further position ourselves as a preeminent leader in using the latest and most innovative technologies to offer improved clinical outcomes for patients," said John Kohne, MD, chief operating officer for Methodist Hospital. "We are very excited about this development."

The renovation is part of a $27 million investment to modernize six operating rooms and add two new integrated surgical suites that will share the state's first intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) scanner. At the conclusion of the project - expected in December 2010 - all of Clarian’s adult neurosurgeries will be performed at Methodist Hospital.

"At Methodist, we have the most advanced neurosurgical suites in the state of Indiana and some of most sophisticated surgical navigation equipment available in the country," said Sherman McMurray, MD, medical director for the operating rooms at Methodist Hospital. "Each suite is fully-integrated and streamlined to allow our surgeons, and the staff who support them, to perform complex neurosurgical operations in a safe and efficient environment."

Each of the suites will offer access to the following:

Image Stream Medical's Video Integration System - Methodist Hospital is the first hospital in the Midwest and the second in the U.S. to offer live surgical streaming and webcasting technology. The system allows any connected operating room to broadcast live surgical footage to a remote audience anywhere in the world, while also enabling surgeons at remote locations to view a procedure in real-time and offer instant consultations to benefit patients.

The NICO MyriadTM - Methodist Hospital is the first adult hospital in the Midwest to obtain this fully automated, non-heat generating device which is used in minimally invasive and open surgical approaches to remove hard-to-reach brain and spinal tumors. The Myriad's speed can help to shorten surgery times while its design ensures less risk to tissue, offering the potential for improved patient outcomes.

Medtronic StealthStation® i7TM Integrated Navigation System - Methodist Hospital is the first hospital in the state to acquire this technology that enables surgeons to easily view surgical navigation information with ceiling mounted, Digital HD, wide-screen monitors that offer intraoperative imaging capabilities. The system also integrates easily with other surgical technologies, helping to streamline workflow and reduce set-up and take-down times for the surgical staff.

Zeiss OPMI® Pentero® Surgical Microscopes - These microscopes are equipped with intraoperative fluorescence imaging, high-speed auto focus, and integrated navigation to support surgeons in treating aneurysms and removing tumors.

Stryker® Visum LED Surgical Lights - These surgical lights are equipped with a multi-reflector design that provides a combination of brightness, pure white color and shadow resolution to ensure surgical teams have optimal visibility while performing delicate operations. These energy-efficient surgical lights also remain cool during long cases allowing the surgical staff to operate in a comfortable environment.

For the past several months, Clarian has been working to upgrade the surgical technology in its neuroscience operating rooms. Construction teams stripped seven operating rooms down to bare walls and structural steel and then built six larger neurosurgical suites in their place. The renovation was done in three phases, allowing four operating rooms to continue serving patients during construction. The entire modernization project is part of Clarian and Indiana University School of Medicine’s plan to invest more than $100 million dollars over the next five years into building a Neuroscience Center of Excellence near Methodist Hospital.

The neurosurgical suite modernization and expansion project is the result of the collaboration between IMRIS Inc.; Biagi, Chance, Cummins, London and Titzer Inc.; FA Wilhelm Construction Co.; architecture design firm Synthesis Incorporated; Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine; Wurster Construction Co.; and Messer Construction Co.

Construction timeline for renovation/expansion:
-Delivery of the IMRIS intraoperative MRI scanner (Sept 25, 2010)
-Completion and opening of the IMRIS suite – consisting of two integrated operating rooms linked by a diagnostic imaging room that will house Indiana’s first intraoperative MRI scanner (December 2010)

About Clarian Neuroscience - Clarian Neuroscience is a preeminent, full-service neuroscience provider and one of the largest and most experienced neuroscience programs in the nation. Clarian Neuroscience - affiliated with the IU School of Medicine, the Indiana Clinic, Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine, and the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute - is nationally recognized for its clinical excellence and emphasis on research and is the only neuroscience program in Indiana to be ranked among the 2010-11 edition of U.S.News & World Report’s "America’s Best Hospitals."

About Clarian Health - As a preeminent leader in clinical care, education, research and service, Clarian Health is Indiana's most comprehensive academic medical center and one of the busiest hospital systems in the United States. Based in Indianapolis, Clarian is comprised of multiple hospitals and health centers throughout the state and maintains a strong partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine–the nation's second largest medical school and a global leader in medical education and research.

For more information contact Gene Ford at 317.962.4576.

The AOSSM, founded in 1972, is a national organization of orthopedic surgeons dedicated to sports medicine. Every year, the AOSSM gives the Hughston Award - named after the founder of The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Jack C. Hughston, MD - to the individual with the most outstanding research paper appearing in that journal in the year prior to the award. Dr. Shelbourne, a renowned expert in the treatment of ACL injuries who has performed more than 6,000 ACL reconstructions throughout his career, is the first person to receive the award for the second time.

"We are honored to see that Dr. Shelbourne and his organization have again been recognized on a national level," says John Kohne, MD, chief operations officer for Clarian’s Methodist Hospital. "This prestigious award for research testifies to their level of expertise and ensures that their patients have access to the most effective and up-to-date clinical treatments for their injuries."

Dr. Shelbourne's award-winning research paper titled, "Minimum 10-Year Results After ACL Reconstruction: How the loss of normal knee motion compounds other factors related to osteoarthritis after surgery," is one of many research papers published in conjunction with a long-term follow-up study of ACL reconstruction being conducted at the Shelbourne Knee Center at Methodist Hospital.

The study found that, at an average of 15 years after ACL reconstruction, patients who had lost even a few degrees of normal knee extension had lower subjective scores and more signs of osteoarthritis than patients who achieved normal knee motion. The paper also shows the importance of proper rehabilitation to restore normal knee extension after surgery in order to reduce the incidence of symptoms of arthritis in young adults.

Since launching his practice in 1982, Dr. Shelbourne has focused his research, partially funded by the Methodist Research Institute, toward advancing the surgical treatment and rehabilitation of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. As a result of his ongoing research, Dr. Shelbourne and his team at the Shelbourne Knee Center at Methodist Hospital have been able to provide up-to-date treatment and rehabilitation methods enabling many of their patients to return to their favorite physical activities several months after surgery.

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About Clarian Health - As a preeminent leader in clinical care, education, research and service, Clarian Health is Indiana's most comprehensive academic medical center and one of the busiest hospital systems in the United States. Based in Indianapolis, Clarian is comprised of multiple hospitals and health centers throughout the state and maintains a strong partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine–the nation's second largest medical school and a global leader in medical education and research.

About the Shelbourne Knee Center at Methodist Hospital - The Shelbourne Knee Center at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, a partner of Clarian Human Motion, provides specialized, world-class care for knees. With a focus on continuing research and cutting-edge surgical and rehabilitation techniques, the staff at the Shelbourne Knee Center is committed to providing unsurpassed care to all patients, whether professional athletes or weekend warriors. The rehabilitation department specializes in the treatment of knee pain and knee injuries, providing patients with one-on-one care and education. Driven by research and evidence-based practices to provide the most up to date treatment and information, the Shelbourne Knee Center takes time to develop a treatment plan that meets your individual needs and helps you meet your goals.

About Clarian Human Motion - Clarian Human Motion - Indiana’s only orthopedics program to be ranked among the 2010-11 edition of U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” - specializes in treating injured joints, bones, backs and muscles. As an evidence-based leader in musculoskeletal care, Clarian Human Motion offers a variety of services ranging from joint replacement and reconstruction, spine and sports medicine to pediatric orthopedics and rehabilitation services.

For more information contact Gene Ford at 317.962.4576.

As a special bonus for employees, this Friday’s campaign wrap-up celebration will be immediately followed by a morale-boosting, Methodist Hospital tradition: the employee bed races. For the bed races, employees from various departments within the organization will race against each other with makeshift hospital beds that have been designed, decorated and built for speed. The wrap-up celebration and the subsequent bed races will take place on the corner of 15th and Missouri St., just south of the Methodist Hospital campus.

Thanks to the more than 700 employees who have contributed gifts to the campaign launched by Methodist Health Foundation on March 2, 2010, the employee-focused campaign was able to meet its goal on the morning of Wednesday, June 9.

"I’m so proud to be an employee and to join the many employees who made a sacrifice so that they could be a part of ensuring the future of Methodist Hospital," says Samuel L. Odle, FACHE, president and chief operating officer of Methodist Hospital and executive vice president and chief operating officer of Clarian Health. "I am grateful to each and every employee who helped with the campaign or made a gift - large or small."

Jane Manning, MSN, RN, nursing retention coordinator for Methodist Hospital, understands the importance of engaging employees in fundraising efforts. In addition to spending all 39 years of her nursing career working at Methodist Hospital and serving as the chair for this year’s employee fund raising campaign, Manning was the campaign chair in 1991 when Methodist Health Foundation became the first organization of its kind in the country to raise $1 million through an employee-focused fund raising campaign. Funds from that campaign went towards the construction of Methodist Hospital’s East Building, which allowed the hospital sufficient room to expand its pediatric critical care and rehabilitation units, emergency room services, maternity unit and comprehensive cardiovascular critical care offerings.

"The point is participation and we want to engage employees in all efforts to continue the historic mission of Methodist Hospital," says Manning. "Methodist is like a 'home away from home' for many of our employees and a large number of them can tell touching stories of their deep attachment to this hospital. This campaign gives us an opportunity to contribute to Methodist's future so that it will be around to serve patients with the most advanced care for another 100 years."

As they approach the end of their employee-focused campaign, Methodist Health Foundation officials indicate that contributions are still pouring in as more employees are signing up to give before the campaign finale.

"It’s not unusual for us to get a surge of donations near the end of a fund raising campaign, so we’ll see what happens over the next few days," says Michael Ault, development officer for Methodist Health Foundation. "It is truly amazing how generous people can be for a cause they believe in."

But the employee-focused phase of the campaign is just one part of a larger effort and philanthropic partnership led by the Methodist Health Foundation to engage employees, physicians, hospital leadership and the community in supporting clinical operations at Methodist Hospital.

"The employee phase is the cornerstone for the rest of the campaign. It is vitally important for us to be able to tell the community that the employees of Methodist support the hospital," says Betty Stilwell, president of Methodist Health Foundation. "The demonstration of support by employees for the future of Methodist Hospital was never in doubt - every day we see and hear evidence of employee devotion to Methodist - and yet we are so thankful for the outpouring of generosity."

After this Friday’s wrap-up celebration, Methodist Health Foundation will focus on the next phase of the campaign, which includes physician outreach and a communications blitz in the community, followed by the public campaign phase, during which corporate gifts will be sought, as well major gifts from philanthropists within the state of Indiana.

The overall campaign seeks to raise $100 million to support the construction of the hospital's proposed critical care bed tower and fund fellowship endowments for physicians and nurses.

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About Clarian Health - As a preeminent leader in clinical care, education, research and service, Clarian Health is Indiana's most comprehensive academic medical center and one of the busiest hospital systems in the United States. Based in Indianapolis, Clarian is comprised of multiple hospitals and health centers throughout the state and maintains a strong partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine–the nation's second largest medical school and a global leader in medical education and research.

About Methodist Health Foundation - Methodist Health Foundation exists as the steward of charitable support for Methodist Hospital whose mission is to improve the health of our patients and community through innovation and excellence in care, education, research and service. Founded in 1982, the Methodist Health Foundation has served as the fundraising arm of Methodist Hospital for more than a quarter of a century. Thanks to generous donors, grateful patients and friends of the hospital, Methodist Health Foundation administers more than 525 funds that benefit the hospital’s dedicated doctors, nurses and allied health professionals in their pursuit of preeminent patient care while at the same time strengthening key programs within Clarian. A majority of the funds go towards supporting clinical efforts in areas such as critical care, research, medical education, cardiovascular, nursing, neuroscience, trauma and transplant.