Are Hospital Rankings Popularity Contests or Measures of Quality?

In an article published yesterday, Janice Simmons wonders if hospital rankings are true measures of quality.

Each year since 1990, U.S. News & World Report has ranked more than 5,000 hospitals in a variety of categories.  They present a "Top 50" in each one, with the goal of helping consumers select the hospital that is right for them.  However, a study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine claims that the standings do not really reflect objective measures of quality.

Tell us what you think - are rankings true quality measures?