August 27, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - More than two-thirds of the best doctors in Alabama practice at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), according to the 2009-10 edition of The Best Doctors in America. The new edition recognizes 297 UAB physicians among the nation's best doctors, a total of 67 percent of the 446 physicians selected from the state of Alabama.

The previous Best Doctors edition, published in 2007, named 277 UAB physicians to the list, comprising 60 percent of Alabama's 460 listed physicians.

Best Doctors is an independent, knowledge-based, medical referral service located in Aiken, S.C. Its surveys ask peer physicians, "If you or a loved one needed a doctor in your specialty, to whom would you refer them?" Only 5 percent of all physicians make the list, which contains the names of about 50,000 physicians.

Nominations for the list are anonymous, and doctors' evaluations are confidential, according to the company. The system of review, based on methodology invented in 1992, includes a method of catching and correcting bias for or against particular physicians or groups of physicians. Listings cannot be purchased.

About the UAB Health System

The UAB Health System includes all of the University of Alabama at Birmingham patient-care activities, including UAB Hospital, the Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital and The Kirklin Clinic. UAB is the state of Alabama's largest employer and an internationally renowned research university and academic health center, and its professional schools and specialty patient-care programs are consistently ranked among the nation's top 50; find more information at www.uab.edu and www.uabmedicine.org.

About Best Doctors

For almost 20 years, Best Doctors has provided information to help people make better choices about health-care providers. Today Best Doctors is the trusted resource that individuals and physicians use to better ensure the appropriate diagnosis and treatment. The company serves hundreds of employers, insurers and health plans, touching more than 15 million people in 30 countries.