America's Top Doctors is the national guide that identifies more than 5,000 top doctors throughout the U.S. in more than 60 medical specialties and subspecialties for the care and treatment of more than 1,700 diseases and medical conditions. These outstanding doctors represent the top 1% in the nation. The guide also contains detailed information about some of the nation's most outstanding major medical centers and specialty hospitals. The physician profiles are arranged by specialty or subspecialty and are organized geographically within each specialty/subspecialty. Search by disease, condition, procedure or technique by using the Special Interest Index or by name in the Alphabetical Listing of Doctors.

Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. is a healthcare research and information company. Founded in 1991 by a former medical college board chairman and president, Castle Connolly's goal is to help guide consumers to America's top doctors and top hospitals. Castle Connolly's established survey and research process, under the direction of an MD, involves tens of thousands of top doctors in America and the medical leadership of leading hospitals. As a result, finding doctors and top hospitals can be a simple and painless process for all.

The result - we identify the top doctors in America and provide you, the consumer, with detailed information about their education, training and special expertise in our paperback guides and online directories. Castle Connolly firmly believes that top hospitals attract top doctors. Because of this, we also provide valuable information on outstanding hospitals. Doctors do not and cannot pay to be selected and profiled as Castle Connolly Top Doctors. Need a guide to top doctors in America? There is no better place to start than with our 7th edition of America's Top Doctors.

NOMINATION PROCESS

How does Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. select America's Top Doctors?
The evaluation process for America's Top Doctors begins with the identification of a selected pool of board-certified physicians from the total number of doctors practicing in a given area. These randomly selected doctors receive letters inviting them to go online to a special website to enter nominations of other American doctors whom they feel are clinically outstanding, both on the regional and national level. Also, Castle Connolly solicits nominations for its guides to top doctors from hospital Presidents, Vice Presidents of Medical Affairs or the equivalent position; Chiefs of Service in Ob/Gyn, Medicine, Pediatrics, Neurology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Otolaryngology, Radiology and Surgery.

The doctors, who are invited to participate in the nomination process are given an anonymous and confidential opportunity to recommend outstanding doctors in various specialties and sub-specialties. We seek nominations not only of those who excel in academic medicine and research but, most importantly, those top doctors who exhibit excellence in patient care. This could be a physician who a nominating doctor entrusts the care of his family members to.

During this phase of the doctor selection process, the Castle Connolly research staff also conducts extensive interviews by telephone with leading doctors, specialists, chiefs of service and healthcare executives to strengthen the guide information-gathering processes.

How does Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. get its physician information?
Each of the selected doctors is asked to complete a comprehensive professional biography form and also provide information on their special practice areas of expertise. The information contained in the biographical forms becomes an integral part of selected doctors' listings in the Guide.

How often does Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. update profiles of America's Top Doctors?
The listings of top doctors are updated annually. Additionally, as Castle Connolly's research staff becomes aware of changes in doctors' information, changes are made on an ongoing basis in doctors' profiles.

Do doctors pay to be listed in Castle Connolly Guides?
No. Doctors cannot and do not pay to be listed in any Castle Connolly guide to top doctors. They are selected based on nominations by their peers and reviewed by Castle Connolly's physician-directed research team.