Best Hospitals in America RANKED…how does YOUR state stack up?
A new report profiles the best hospitals in the United States for more than a dozen specialties and procedures.
Medical experts at US News and World Report arranged thousands of hospitals across America on the 2024-2025 U.S. News Best Hospitals list.
The institutions were grouped based on 15 specialties, including cancer, gastroenterology, cardiology, orthopedics, rehabilitation and psychiatry, and 20 different types of surgery.
The report didn’t give the best overall numerical ranking, but nationally renowned hospitals such as Boston’s Brigham and Women’s, the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic were on the researchers’ honor roll.
However, hospitals were ranked based on their best-performing specialties. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, was ranked best in eight specialties, the highest percentage of any institution.
These hospitals are on the U.S. News ‘Honor Roll’ list for their high rankings in multiple categories
California has the best performing hospitals with five in the state, closely followed by New York with four and Massachusetts with three.
From the thousands of institutions, the researchers numerically ranked the 50 best for each specialty.
US News said about his rankings: ‘US News estimates that nearly 2 million hospital patients each year face the prospect of surgery or specialty care that presents unusual technical challenges or a significantly increased risk of death or injury because of age, physical condition, or existing conditions.
“The rankings provide a tool that can help these patients and their families find resources for expert clinical care.”
The team also ranked the hospitals that achieved the highest scores.
These hospitals included Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Cedars-Sinai in California, Cleveland Clinic, Duke University Hospital, NYU Langone, New York-Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia and Cornell, and UCLA Medical Center.
NYU Langone Hospitals in New York City has the second highest ranked specialties, including neurology/neurosurgery and cardiology, after Mayo Clinic.
Several hospitals were ranked third for top-rated specialties, including the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and New York-Presbyterian in New York City.
When it comes to the best cancer care centers, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranks first.
US News and World Report gave the institution a perfect score of 100 on its scorecard.
It was given a 5 out of 5 ‘excellent’ rating because most patients survived 30 days in hospital and the patient experience was pleasant.
Patients were also sent home more often than to another hospital.
However, the storied institution was recently embroiled in scandal after immuno-oncologist Dr. Padmanee Sharma was accused by colleagues of creating a “toxic” and “abusive” environment and of taking credit for other people’s research.
Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City followed in second place with a score of 93 out of 100.
The institution received an “excellent” award in all categories except for patient volume, which was “very high.”
The number of patients is calculated based on the volume of high-risk patients treated for cancer-related conditions over a three-year period. This is calculated based on the total number of patients seeking care.
Memorial Sloan Kettering had 6,890, while MD Anderson had 13,354.
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, rounded out the top three best cancer care centers.
This institution scored 84/100. Although it received an ‘excellent’ in several areas, the overall rating from the experts was ‘very good’, with 13 percent.
This class comes from the percentage of cancer specialists who ranked the hospital as the best for “very challenging” patients. For MD Anderson, just under a third of doctors recommended it, along with 28 percent for MSK.
According to data from U.S. News and World Report, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, ranked first in eight specialties
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston used to be the best in cancer care. However, the institution has recently been embroiled in a scandal
At the bottom of the top 50 list is the University of Kansas Hospital scored ‘excellent’ in terms of patients alive at 30 days, the hospital’s good staffing levels and state-of-the-art technology.
But patient experiences were rated as ‘above average’ and expert opinions were average.
Less than 1 percent of cancer specialists named the facility as one of the best for challenging patients. However, U.S. News and World Report noted that “most hospitals are named by a few specialists or not at all.”
The University of Kansas Hospital collaborates in cancer care with Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.
Other cancer institutions that scored low were Tampa General Hospital, the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Smile Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven and the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha.
For diabetes and endocrinology, Mayo Clinic scored a perfect 100 out of 100, well ahead of Brigham and Women’s and New York-Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia and Cornell, which tied for second.
Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu came in 50th place, with a score of 61 out of 100. Plainview Hospital at Northwell Health in New York and Baylor St Luke’s Medical Center in Houston followed closely behind.
The University of Kansas was at the bottom of the rankings for specialties such as cancer care, but was still in the top 50
And since heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., U.S. News and World Report also ranked cardiology practices. Cleveland Clinic took first place with a score of 100/100, closely followed by NYU Langone (98/100) and Mayo Clinic (96/100).
The University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham ranked 50th with a score of 63/100.
Rehabilitation centers were also listed among the included specialties.
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab took first place with a score of 100/100. The facility prevented patients from being readmitted to a hospital 92 percent of the time within 30 days, just below the national average of 93 percent. And 94 percent of the time, patients did not need to be transferred to a hospital during their rehabilitation treatment.
In addition, 94 percent of staff had received their annual flu shot, which is above the national average of 89 percent for hospital staff.
TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown, Massachusetts, followed closely behind.
