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Johns Hopkins Tops Best Hospital List

July 13, 2007 -- Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore is the nation's top hospital, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2007 list of America's best hospitals.

The magazine considered 5,462 U.S. hospitals for their annual list of top hospitals. Only 18 hospitals made the list.
Here is the magazine's "honor roll" list of America's best hospitals. Hospitals that received the same rank are listed together.

1. Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore
2. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
3. UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles
4. Cleveland Clinic
5. Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston
6. New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell in New York
7. Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
8. Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University in St. Louis
9. Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston
10. University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle
11. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia
12. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
13. University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers in Ann Arbor, Mich.
14. Stanford Hospital and Clinics in Stanford, Calif., and Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Conn.
15. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and the University of Chicago Medical Center

How the Best Hospitals Were Chosen

Rankings are based on factors including hospital quality in 16 medical specialties: cancer, digestive disorders, ear/nose/throat, endocrinology, geriatrics, gynecology, heart, kidney disease, neurology/neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopedics, psychiatry, rehabilitation, respiratory disorders, rheumatology, and urology.

The magazine also sent surveys to more than 850,000 U.S. doctors, asking them to rank the top five hospitals in their specialty for difficult cases, regardless of location or expense.

The rankings are also based on hospital death rates in Medicare patients with certain conditions, the number of patients and nurses, hospital credentials, and the availability of advanced medical technology.

The rankings don't include military or veterans hospitals because the magazine couldn't get government data needed to rank those hospitals.

Top Hospitals Far Away?

U.S. News & World Report states that "for most people most of the time, the hospital their doctor recommends is fine."

The magazine points out that "going to a hometown hospital means being close to family and friends, whose watchfulness might keep things from going wrong. And patients draw strength from their comforting presence."

However, the magazine notes that top-notch hospitals might be best for difficult or complex conditions.

Talking to your doctor may help you decide whether a highly ranked hospital is the right place to get treatment.