Leveraging Clinical Excellence
A Whole Team Approach
Breaking down traditional silos allows us to foster multidimensional care teams who care for children in ways that reflect their lived experience. This connected approach represents our commitment to clinical preeminence and our vision for transforming children’s health outcomes now and for generations to come.
Setting the Quality Standard
Among the Nation’s Best
U.S. News & World Report “Best” Children’s Hospital rankings are a signal of excellence in pediatric care delivery. Each year, U.S. News & RTI International collect and analyze data from 108 children’s hospitals and survey thousands of pediatric specialists to evaluate factors such as clinical outcomes and the quality of hospital resources.
For 2024-2025, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware ranks among the top 10 children’s hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic region, and received national distinction in cardiology & heart surgery (#8) and orthopedics (#10), along with rankings in seven additional specialties. Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida has improved its national standings in both diabetes & endocrinology and orthopedics. Additionally, our collaborating hospital partner in Jacksonville, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, achieved rankings in four specialties for which Nemours Children’s physicians provide care.
Overall, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware and Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida earned a combined total of 11 pediatric specialty rankings.
Pediatric & Adolescent Behavioral Health
Top 50 – Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware
Top 50 – Collaborating Hospital Partner, Wolfson Children’s Hospital (Jacksonville)
Pediatric Cancer
#25 – Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware
#43 – Collaborating Hospital Partner, Wolfson Children’s Hospital (Jacksonville)
Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery
#8 – Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware
Pediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology
#34 – Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware
#35 – Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
#41 – Collaborating Hospital Partner, Wolfson Children’s Hospital (Jacksonville)
Pediatric Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
#33 – Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware
Pediatric Nephrology
#40 – Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware
Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery
#31 – Collaborating Hospital Partner, Wolfson Children’s Hospital (Jacksonville)
Pediatric Orthopedics
#10 – Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware
#40 – Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Pediatric Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
#44 – Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware
Pediatric Urology
#22 – Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware
Bringing Value and Services Closer to Home
Our new 43,000-square-foot Specialty Care and Surgery Center in Malvern, Pennsylvania, expands our presence to five locations in southeast Pennsylvania. This modern facility offers 18 specialties — from developmental medicine and sleep care to a concussion program and surgical services like endoscopies and colonoscopies. Designed with kids in mind, it features advanced technology, a welcoming atmosphere, and convenient access for families in the Uptown Worthington area — bringing high-quality care closer to home.
We’re expanding care to underserved rural communities in Maryland through partnerships that reduce travel barriers for families. With TidalHealth, we’ve introduced telemedicine services for pediatric cardiology, endocrinology, and infectious disease. Our work with Beebe Healthcare brings outpatient cardiology to Selbyville, Delaware, supporting nearby families. We’re also growing our surgical services in Milford, Southern Delaware — all to ensure more children receive the specialtv care they need, no matter where they live.
Our partnership with Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital and Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville is helping meet the growing need for pediatric rehab care in Florida. With support from the Florida legislature, Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital has doubled its pediatric capacity, added child-friendly spaces, and expanded access to advanced technology. Patient numbers have grown nearly 500% from 2021 to 2024 — a clear sign of the demand. Our Nemours specialists provide 24/7 care through dedicated hospitalists and ensure seamless coordination with access to our full network of pediatric subspecialists.
Safe, Accessible, Efficient
Building Teams and Processes for Better Outcomes
Our clinical vision begins with an unwavering commitment to patient safety as our highest priority. We believe the best care must be the safest care, which is why we’ve launched an enterprise-wide safety initiative that engages everyone from specialists to support staff while empowering families as essential partners in their children’s care team.
Nearly 5% of our patients — approximately 25,000 children annually — live with multiple health conditions requiring complex care. These children account for 75% of our hospital days and require coordinated expertise across multiple specialties. Rather than treating each condition in isolation, we’re building integrated care pathways that address the full spectrum of a child’s health needs.
- We currently have more than 20 care pathways and plan to expand to 25 in 2025.
- These pathways focus on improving care quality and patient safety.
- We closely monitor health outcomes to see how well the pathways are working.
- We continuously measure, assess, and adjust our approach to keep improving care.
Our leaders regularly communicate with care teams through leadership rounding – focusing on quality, safety, and patient experience. Leaders see frontline challenges first-hand, and associates provide feedback to help guide strategy.
Our quality and safety efforts are gaining national recognition. At the 2024 Solutions for Patient Safety National Learning session, Nemours Children’s associates delivered five presentations, with two individuals receiving awards, including the 2024 Children’s Hospitals’ Judges’ Choice Award for “A System-Wide Approach: Implementing a Plan for Behavioral Events in Children’s Healthcare.”
Care Highlights
Why We Do What We Do
Dr. Gregory Olavarria, Kaylee Hill and Dr. Satyanarayana Gedela
Read about Kaylee’s journey, the first patient to undergo Stereo electroencephalography at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida.
The Division of Neurology at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, has significantly expanded its pediatric expertise and capabilities to address critical community needs, with a special focus on epilepsy services. Under the leadership of Dr. Satyanarayana Gedela, Chief of Neurology, Co-Director of the Neuroscience Center and Vice Chair of Pediatrics, the center has grown from three to eight board-certified specialists. Dr. Gedela, a renowned expert in epilepsy with more than 30 years of experience, has helped the center attract international patients while enhancing care for children throughout Central Florida.
A cornerstone of the center is the Epilepsy Surgery Center with a 6-bed Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, a state-of-the-art facility designed for continuous EEG monitoring and Stereo electroencephalography with ROSA, a robot, to ensure precise placement of stereopathic depth electrodes. This advanced diagnostic service helps physicians pinpoint diagnoses and further personalize treatment plans. Since opening in 2023, the unit has facilitated more than 600 patient evaluations and supported nine complex epilepsy surgeries within just 12 months of operations. The epilepsy center is newly designated as Level 3 by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers.
The center offers comprehensive epilepsy care options through specialized clinics including ketogenic diet program, intractable epilepsy clinic, epilepsy surgery clinic, and new-onset seizure clinic.
Future expansion plans include developing specialized clinics for genetic epilepsy and psychogenic nonepileptic clinics; establishing a child neurology residency program by 2026/2027; and increasing scholarly research activities.
Zohan Syed
Read Zohan’s remarkable story of resilience as he continues to improve following leg-lengthening surgery.
Patient-focused care, quality outcomes and exceptional service have elevated Nemours Children’s Health, Florida to boast one of the state’s premier pediatric orthopedic programs. With nine surgeons across our Orlando and Lakeland campuses, three non-operative sports medicine specialists, and a team of 11 advanced practice providers, the department serves nearly 40,000 patient visits annually.
The growth and preeminence of the program is in large part due to four cornerstone initiatives: a robust spine program performing 200 procedures annually, an expanding sports medicine program, specialized hand surgery services through our collaboration with Orlando Hand Associates, and a growing limb reconstruction program led by internationally renowned specialist Dr. Shawn Standard who joined the team in 2024.
In 2024, we renewed our long-standing partnership with the USTA to provide comprehensive care for junior tennis players, including medical coverage, nutrition services and sports psychology support.
To further advance excellence in pediatric orthopedic care globally, the department’s academic endeavors include clinical and research fellowships, residency rotations, and innovative research in blood conservation and brittle bone disease treatments.
Michelle and Jack
Watch Michelle, Jack’s mom, describe their journey from fetal diagnosis at 24 weeks to a safe trip home a week after Zack’s birth.
Our Delaware-based Cardiology & Cardiothoracic Surgery programs achieved a remarkable milestone in 2024, rising to #8 in U.S. News and World Report rankings — establishing our Cardiac Center as the #1 program in the region. This achievement reflects both exceptional quality of clinical care and strategic leadership.
Our Nemours Cardiac Center, Delaware, is positioned for significant growth in 2025 and beyond under Executive Director, Aaron W. Eckhauser, MD, MS, Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Co-Director, Mark Twite, MA, MB, BChir, FRCP, Chief of Cardiac Anesthesia, who are leading an ambitious expansion.
Central to this vision is the integration with our growing Maternal Fetal Health program. More than 60% of babies diagnosed in utero through our Advanced Delivery Program ultimately require cardiac surgical intervention. This natural pathway from prenatal diagnosis to specialized cardiac care creates a seamless continuum for these vulnerable patients and their families. To strengthen this critical connection and provide a seamless continuum for vulnerable patients and their families, we are making a landmark investment in maternal and fetal care — building an expanded Advanced Delivery Unit featuring four new birthing suites, eight antepartum and postpartum rooms, and three operating rooms configured for both fetal surgeries and C-sections. Together with our Florida program, this expansion will create one of the nation’s largest fetal medicine programs.
Near-future initiatives include an expanded adult congenital heart program in partnership with Jefferson Health, enhanced heart failure and mechanical assist device capabilities, increased neonatal capacity, advanced interventional cardiology services, expanded outpatient services and state-of-the-art cardiac imaging.
This strategic growth will not only serve the Delaware Valley but create a model of excellence that can be applied across our enterprise, reinforcing our commitment to providing world-class pediatric care from before birth through adulthood.