The best hospitals across the United States for more than a dozen specialties and procedures have been revealed in a new report.
Medical experts at US News and World Report ranked thousands of hospitals across America in its 2024-2025 US News Best Hospitals list.
The institutions were grouped by 15 specialties, including cancer, gastroenterology, cardiology, orthopedics, rehab, and psychiatry, as well as 20 different types of surgery.
The report did not rank the best overall numerically, but nationally renowned hospitals like Boston’s Brigham and Women’s, the Cleveland Clinic, and the Mayo Clinic made the researchers’ ‘honor roll.’
However, it did rank hospitals by top-performing specialties, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, was top-rated in eight specialties, the most of any institution.
These hospitals made U.S. News’ ‘Honor Roll’ list for ranking high in multiple categories
California had the most top-performing hospitals with five in the state, followed closely by New York with four and Massachusetts with three.
Out of the 5,000 institutions it analyzed, the researchers numerically ranked the 50 best for each specialty.
US News said about its rankings: ‘US News estimates that nearly 2million hospital inpatients a year face the prospect of surgery or special care that poses either unusual technical challenges or significantly heightened risk of death or harm because of age, physical condition or existing conditions.
‘The rankings are a tool that can help these patients and their families find sources of skilled inpatient care.’
The team also compiled its ‘honor roll’ hospitals, which were the ones that scored highest overall in specialty categories.
These included Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Cedars-Sinai in California, Cleveland Clinic, Duke University Hospital in North Carolina, NYU Langone in New York, New York-Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia and Cornell, and the University of California Los Angeles Medical Center.
NYU Langone Hospitals in New York City had the second-most top ranked specialties, including neurology and neurosurgery and cardiology.
Several hospitals tied for the third-most top-rated specialties, including Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and New York-Presbyterian in New York City.
As for top cancer care centers, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranked first.
US News and World Report gave the institution a perfect score of 100 on its scorecard.
It earned a 5 out of 5 ‘excellent’ ranking for having the most patients survive after 30 days in the hospital, as well as for a pleasant patient experience.
Patients were also discharged back to their homes 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 cultivating a ‘toxic’ and ‘abusive’ environment and taking credit for others’ research.
Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City followed in second with a score of 93 out of 100.
The institution earned an ‘excellent’ award for all categories except number of patients, which was ‘very high.’
The number of patients is calculated based on the volume of high-risk patients treated for cancer-related disorders over a period of three years. This is calculated from total 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 cancer care centers.
This institution earned an 84 out of 100. While it earned an ‘excellent’ in several areas, its experts’ opinion score was ‘very good’ overall, with 13 percent.
This grade comes from the percentage of cancer specialists who named the hospital among the best for ‘very challenging’ patients. For MD Anderson, just under a third of physicians recommended it, along with 28 percent for MSK.
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, was top-ranked in eight specialties, according to US News and World Report’s data
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston was top ranked in cancer care. However, the institution has recently been embroiled in scandal
At the bottom of the list for cancer care was the University of Kansas Hospital, which came in at 49th place. It scored ‘excellent’ in terms of patients surviving after 30 days, the hospital being well staffed, and having the latest technology.
But patient experience was deemed ‘above average,’ and expert opinion was only average.
Less than one percent of cancer specialists named the institution as among the best for challenging patients. However, US News and World Report noted that overall, ‘Most hospitals are named by a few specialists or not at all.’
University of Kansas Hospital tied for cancer care with Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.
Other bottom-ranking cancer institutions included Tampa General Hospital in Florida, University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Smilow 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 place.
Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu took 50th place, scoring 61 out of 100. Plainview Hospital at Northwell Health in New York and Baylor St Luke’s Medical Center in Houston followed closely behind.
And with heart disease being the number one killer in the US, US News and World Report also ranked cardiology practices. Cleveland Clinic took first place with a perfect score of 100, followed closely by NYU Langone (98) and Mayo Clinic (96).
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital landed at the bottom, placing 50th with a score of 63 out of 100.
