Johns Hopkins Tops List of Best Hospitals

U.S. News and World Reports released its annual list of America's Best Hospitals today, with Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital leading the pack. The magazine screens hospitals across the country and ranks hospitals in 16 specialties, including cancer, kidney disease, geriatrics and digestive disorders. This year marks the first time that pediatric hospitals will be featured in a special issue instead of being ranked with adult-focused hospitals.

The report takes reputation, death rate and a set of care-related factors like patient care services into consideration when ranking hospitals. Eighteen of the 173 hospitals ranked this year received "honor roll" status by ranking at or near the top in at least six specialties. Johns Hopkins Hospital ranked in the top three in 12 specialties. In addition to Johns Hopkins Hospital, other Honor Roll recipients include the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, UCLA Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, New-York-Presbyterian University Hospital, Duke University Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Last years list conferred "honor roll" status to 14 hospitals.

As the American population ages, geriatrics hospitals are becoming more important to the healthcare of the United States. Top honors for the specialty include UCLA Medical Center, Johns Hopkins and Mount Sinai. The Hospital for Special Surgery topped the list of orthopedic hospitals. Ear, nose and throat honors went to Johns Hopkins, the University of Iowa Hospitals and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

For cardiac care, the Cleveland Clinic ranked number one with the Mayo Clinic and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston rounding out the top three. Massachusetts General Hospital was the top psychiatric hospital in the country, along with Johns Hopkins and McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass.

Johns Hopkins also took top honor in Urology. The Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic finished second and third on the list.

This marks the 18^th year that U.S. News and World Reports has issued the list, which has emerged as one of the most prestigious healthcare ranking systems in the country. "America's Best Hospitals offers consumers an in-depth look at hospitals across the country, providing necessary information to choose the best hospitals to fit their needs," said editor Brian Kelly.

The magazine surveyed over 5400 hospitals, mostly acute and short-term, across the country before naming the top hospitals in the country. The special edition of U.S. News and World Reports will hit newsstands July 16, with the new pediatric edition hitting stores August 27.

Source: U.S. News and World Reports Press Release: http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/main.jsp?resourceid=3513675&packageid=1012336