U.S. News & World Report unveiled the 26th edition of the Best Hospitals rankings at usnews.com/besthospitals. Designed to help patients with life-threatening or rare conditions identify hospitals that excel in treating the most difficult cases, Best Hospitals includes consumer-friendly data and information on nearly 5,000 medical centers nationwide.
Massachusetts General Hospital, No. 2 last year, reclaimed the No. 1 spot on the Honor Roll, which highlights hospitals that are exceptional in numerous specialties. The Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital and UCLA Medical Center follow at Nos. 2 and 3.University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is No. 1 in cancer care, the Cleveland Clinic is No. 1 in cardiology & heart surgery and the Hospital for Special Surgery is No. 1 in orthopedics.
Best Hospitals features national rankings in 16 specialties. In the 2015-16 rankings, 137 U.S. hospitals performed well enough in complex care to be nationally ranked in one or more specialties. Just 15 of these qualified for a spot on the Honor Roll by ranking at or near the top in six or more specialties.
The 2015-16 Honor Roll
1. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
3. (tie) Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
3. (tie) UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
5. Cleveland Clinic
6. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston
7. New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, New York
8. UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco
9. Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania-Penn Presbyterian, Philadelphia
10. Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis
11. Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago
12. NYU Langone Medical Center, New York
13. UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
14. Duke University Hospital, Durham, North Carolina
15. Stanford Health-Stanford Hospital, Stanford, California
U.S. News also identified 520 Best Regional Hospitals, ranking them by state and metro area based on their performance in both complex and common care.
The Best Hospitals methodology measures patient volume, risk-adjusted survival rates and adequacy of nurse staffing, among other care-related indicators. U.S. News further expanded the number of physicians surveyed for the 2015-16 rankings.
"Patients deserve high-quality information on hospitals," said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News. "We strive to provide them with the most comprehensive data available so they can make more informed decisions together with their doctor about where to undergo treatment."
The specialty rankings and data were produced for U.S. News by RTI International, a leading research organization based inResearch Triangle Park, N.C. U.S. News used both the specialty rankings and its recently published Best Hospitals for Common Care ratings to produce the Best Regional Hospitals.
U.S. News first began publishing hospital rankings in 1990 as part of an expanding group of consumer advice products. Over the past 26 years, the Best Hospitals rankings have helped guide millions of patients and their families to high-quality hospital care when they need it most.
U.S. News 2015-16 Best Hospitals Rankings
For the full list of national rankings in 16 specialties, visit www.usnews.com/best-hospitals.
Top 10 Hospitals in Cancer Care
1. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
2. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York
3. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
4. Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Boston
5. Seattle Cancer Care Alliance/University of Washington Medical Center
6. (tie) Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
6. (tie) UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
8. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
9. UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco
10. Stanford Health-Stanford Hospital, Stanford, California
Top 10 Hospitals in Cardiology & Heart Surgery
1. Cleveland Clinic
2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
3. New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, New York
4. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston
5. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
6. Duke University Hospital, Durham, North Carolina
7. Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
8. Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania-Penn Presbyterian, Philadelphia
9. Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago
10. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles
Top 10 Hospitals in Orthopedics
1. Hospital for Special Surgery, New York
2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
3. Cleveland Clinic
4. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
5. Hospital for Joint Diseases, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York
6. Rush University Medical Center, Chicago
7. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston
8. UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
9. Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago
10. (tie) New England Baptist Hospital, Boston
10. (tie) UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center