Scottish Rite for Children No. 2 in the Nation & No. 1 in Texas for Pediatric Orthopedic Care by U.S. News & World Report

Scottish Rite for Children No. 2 in the Nation & No. 1 in Texas for Pediatric Orthopedic Care by U.S. News & World Report

Scottish Rite for Children ranks No. 2 in the nation for pediatric orthopedic care according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-2025 “Best Hospitals for Pediatric Orthopedics” rankings. This places Scottish Rite, yet again, at No. 1 for pediatric orthopedics in Texas and the Southwest region, which includes Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Since specialty rankings began in 2007, Scottish Rite has repeatedly led the nation as a top 10 pediatric orthopedic hospital.

“We believe that the patient experience should be extraordinary from start to finish,” said President and CEO Robert Walker. “As a national leader and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in Texas, hundreds of thousands of children have benefited from our exemplary patient care, innovative research and the unrivaled education of our fellows, residents and other medical professionals who go on to provide transformative care around the world.”

U.S. News determines their rankings with the help of a research and consulting firm that analyzes data from 108 children’s hospitals across 11 specialties and surveys thousands of pediatric specialists. Children’s hospitals awarded a “Best” designation excelled at factors including clinical outcomes, level and quality of hospital resources directly related to patient care, and expert opinion among pediatric specialists. The rankings assist parents and caregivers, along with their physicians, in navigating the challenges of choosing the best possible care for children with serious conditions or complex medical needs.


“Consistently receiving recognition from esteemed peers across the country reinforces our position as the expert in pediatric orthopedic care,” said Chief of Staff Daniel J. Sucato, M.D., M.S. “At the same time, we are child-focused, ensuring that the patient is at the center of everything we do. The feeling of being seen and heard, of knowing that you matter, is crucial to the healing process.”

Scottish Rite is also nationally ranked in patient satisfaction. Earlier this year, for the eighth time, the hospital received the NRC Health 2024 Excellence in Patient Experience Award in the children’s hospital category.

“Our multidisciplinary team of surgeons, nurses, therapists, researchers and in-house specialists collaborate to offer our patients and their families a continuum of care that is unmatched,” said Sucato. “We treat the whole child, which may include addressing mental, emotional and behavioral needs as well as their physical condition.”

With 23 pediatric orthopedic surgeons on staff, Scottish Rite employs more than any other provider in the Southwest. Scottish Rite orthopedists write and edit the textbook considered the gold standard orthopedic reference guide by practitioners worldwide. Producing graduates who now hold leadership positions at children’s hospitals across the country, the Dorothy & Bryant Edwards Fellowship in Orthopedics and Scoliosis program is one of the oldest and the largest pediatric orthopedic fellowships in the world. The organization’s robust research program has not only discovered and mapped genes associated with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, clubfoot and lupus, but it has also invented and advanced revolutionary medical devices resulting in more than 50 patents.

In collaboration with UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center, Scottish Rite for Children has repeatedly garnered recognition from U.S. News for its commitment to excellence, consistently ranking the organization among the best pediatric orthopedic facilities in the United States. The rankings and ratings are available online here.

​About U.S. News Rankings
Introduced in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available, U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals rankings are the most comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric hospitals.

U.S. News, alongside a research and consulting firm, collected and analyzed data from 119 children’s hospitals and surveyed thousands of pediatric specialists. Children’s hospitals awarded a “Best” designation excelled at factors such as clinical outcomes, level and quality of hospital resources directly related to patient care and expert opinion among pediatric specialists.

Doctors Travel to Israel for International Pediatric Orthopedic Conference

Doctors Travel to Israel for International Pediatric Orthopedic Conference

Doctors from the hospital are attending the 38th annual European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society (EPOS) meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel. EPOS is an international association comprised of over 500 surgeons from across the world. This four-day conference allows members to discuss research and collaborate on latest treatment techniques to ultimately advance the quality of care for children with orthopedic conditions.

As active members of EPOS, hospital staff attend and participate throughout this international meeting each year. Several are in attendance, along with past fellows, presenting the hospital’s original research. Below are the projects being presented:

  • Can real time monitoring with a controlled advancement drill decrease plunge depth?
  • Metaphyseal fracture displacement is predictive of intra-articular diastasis in adolescent triplane ankle fractures
  • Gait analysis in children with proximal femoral focal deficiency

In addition to these research presentations, surgeons from Scottish Rite Hospital are directing the first ever web-based joint educational endeavor between EPOS and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA). During this symposium, entitled “Across the Pond: International Differences in Pediatric Orthopaedic Trauma Management,” staff and former fellows from the hospital will discuss and debate current trauma treatment strategies with a panel of European trauma specialists. The debate will be recorded at the EPOS meeting and broadcast worldwide.

Pediatric orthopedic surgeon and director of resident education Anthony I. Riccio, M.D., is one of the hospital’s key representatives for EPOS. “As doctors and leaders within pediatric orthopedics, we have a responsibility to conduct research in order to better understand and find innovative techniques for treating complex conditions,” says Riccio. “It is an honor to travel the world to share our expertise and have the opportunity to both educate and learn from other specialists. Not only does this advance how we care for our patients here in Texas, but it evolves the treatment for pediatric orthopedic patients across the globe.”

Learn more about the hospital’s research.

Get to Know our SRH Staff: Molly McGuire, Research

Get to Know our SRH Staff: Molly McGuire, Research

What is your role at the hospital? What do you do on a daily basis? 
My job involves working with teams of surgeon-researchers and coordinators all over the world to collect data about patients they treat for Perthes disease, a rare disease that impacts formation of the hip. We then study this information to understand the phenomenon of Perthes disease and help families. The organization is called the International Perthes Study Group. I help this multicenter research effort by coordinating legal, regulatory, communications and operational aspects of enrollment and data monitoring. I also recruit our own hospital patients for various Perthes-related research projects.  

What led you to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children? How long have you worked here?
I was an academic research coordinator at UT Southwestern. Prior to that, I was in Lima, Peru working on grant-funded research for the University of Pennsylvania and Tulane University. I have been at the hospital for one year, and I’m loving it!  

What do you enjoy most about Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children?
My co-workers and colleagues energize and humble me and are the best part of the job.  

What was your first job? 
I was a lifeguard during a shift no one else wanted – 5-9 a.m.in the morning.  

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I spend as much time as I can in the company of my dog, and I play on a recreational women’s soccer team.  

Three words to best describe you:
Studious, committed and adventurous  

What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?
Professor or CIA, can’t decide.  

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
I served in the Peace Corps.

Learn more about the research conducted in the Center for Excellence in Hip. 

#SRHaccess Facebook LIVE Recap: Overgrowth Related Syndromes

#SRHaccess Facebook LIVE Recap: Overgrowth Related Syndromes

On this week’s #SRHaccess Facebook LIVE, Director of the Center for Excellence in Hand Scott Oishi, M.D., joined us to discuss the hospital’s expertise in caring for children diagnosed with overgrowth related syndromes. Below is a recap of the conversation.

Watch the live segment.

Common overgrowth conditions:

  • Macrodactyly – abnormally large fingers and toes caused by an overgrowth of soft tissue and bone.
  • An overgrowth related syndrome can affect the upper and lower extremities, as well as muscles throughout the body.
  • The overgrowth can have vascular anomalies – an impact to the veins and lymphatic system.
  • In the hand, the thumb, index and middle fingers are the most common extremities affected. Those fingers are along the same nerve distribution area.

Fast facts about overgrowth related syndromes:

  • Every presentation is different.
  • Severe cases where an extremity (arm or leg) is significantly bigger than the other, it is possible for it to be detected on an ultrasound.
  • Once a child is born and taken to an orthopedic specialist, the diagnosis can be clear from the physical presentation.

Once diagnosed:

  • The hospital’s hand team will counsel the family.
  • As of now, research does not show any genetic cause to an overgrowth syndrome. It is also not related to anything the mother did or did not do while pregnant.
  • A blood/tissue sample may be taken from the affected extremity to be sent off for genetic testing to see if there is a mutation in the DNA.
  • Nothing is done immediately with an infant and the hand experts will observe the patient as they grow.
  • If a child is born with an extremely enlarged limb and have rapid overgrowth within their first year of life, a treatment plan will be put in place sooner rather than later.
  • In mild cases, the child will be observed until their limb is the size of the same sex parent. From there, the doctor will decide whether intervention is needed, such as surgery.

Learn more about the common hand conditions our experts treat.

D CEO: Scottish Rite’s Frisco Facility is Open for Business

D CEO: Scottish Rite’s Frisco Facility is Open for Business

Read the original story on D CEO’s website here.

The Scottish Rite for Children Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center started accepting its first patients this week, and the entire building is a testament to movement and recovery.

Color-coded floors, bands of shifting color on the facade, colorful spiral staircases, and dynamic floor and wall art are designed to reflect movement and encourage children toward recovery. HKS designed the center and partnered with general contractor Beck in construction of the building.

Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children is building its second facility after 96 years in its Dallas location. Located at the corner of Lebanon Road and the Dallas North Tollway in Frisco, the facility will mirror the population boom in the northern suburbs and fit in well with other athletic facilities in the area such as The Star and FC Dallas. Conversations about the new center began in 2014, with construction breaking ground in 2016.

According to Scottish Rite, around 25 percent of their patient families live north of Dallas, and the ambulatory surgery facility will be an extension of the Dallas campus and will offer clinic visits and orthopedic day surgeries for children.

The five-story building offers views of Lake Lewisville from the upper floors, and will include 345,000 square feet of space, which includes one and a half floors of unused space so that the healthcare giver can grow with the area. If desired, the facility can be a full service hospital in the future.

Imaging will include MRI and three X-ray units with potential for a CT scan and additional MRI and X-rays. The second floor clinics are positioned around the imaging for convenience, and include a walk in clinic for fractures and centrally located admin space separated from patient rooms. There are two operating rooms with room for more, an infusion lab and space for other ancillary clinics. Surgeries will begin November, and families will be able to wait in apartment style family waiting rooms with furniture and sibling play areas.

The physical therapy gym is more reminiscent of a professional gym than a healthcare facility, and it will be accompanied by a Movement Science Lab built for sport-specific training and testing to focus on sports injury or general orthopedic rehabilitation.

The building also includes a conference center with smaller meeting rooms, a 150-seat auditorium, and courtyard that will serve community needs as well as academic gatherings. The adjacent U-11 soccer field can be used for group rehab sessions, injury prevention demonstrations and coaching clinics, and is accompanied by a playground with adaptive play equipment (which should be complete in December) and a half-mile walking and running trail that ties in to local trails.

Scottish Rite anticipates more than 22,000 clinical visits in year one for sports medicine, orthopedics and a fracture clinic, and 13,000 for physical therapy. Around 50 staff relocated from Scottish Rite’s Plan facility, while 30 relocated from the Dallas campus and 50 new staff were hired for the center.

“We are on the forefront of what is happening,” says Jeremy Howell, Vice President, North Campus at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.”We want to focus on the growing child.”

Scottish Rite continues the growth of Frisco’s sports medicine healthcare facilities, joining the Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy & Research at The Star, which opened earlier this year.