U.S. News & World Report has released its annual Best Hospitals rankings, this year placing increased focus on specialty care and accessibility for local communities.
Three hospitals earned spots on the 2025–2026 Best Hospital Honor Roll, which highlights the top 20 hospitals: AdventHealth Orlando, FL; Hackensack University Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health, NJ; and University of Michigan Health – Ann Arbor. Continuing on the list are well-known institutions such as Cleveland Clinic and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. Hospitals dropping off the Honor Roll include Duke University, which had been newly added last year, North Shore University Hospital at Northwell Health, and UC San Diego Health – La Jolla, Hillcrest, and East Campus Medical Centers.
Over 4,400 hospitals were assessed across 15 specialties, along with performance on 22 Procedures & Conditions. The Best Regional Hospitals list now features 504 hospitals (up from 466 last year) across 49 states, with none listed for Wyoming. A new category, Best Regional Hospitals for Community Access, includes 75 hospitals. Rankings for Best Children’s Hospitals are scheduled for release in October.
“Some year-to-year changes are expected,” said Chelsey Wen, senior health data analyst at U.S. News & World Report, in an interview with MedCentral. “The shifts are likely due to methodology updates—especially changes to the Procedures & Conditions metrics—combined with individual hospital performance. Emphasis on patient outcomes such as mortality, infection, and complication rates probably contributed to these changes.”
Twelve specialty rankings were based on outcome data and included the following areas: Cancer; Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery; Diabetes & Endocrinology; Ear, Nose & Throat; Gastroenterology & GI Surgery; Geriatrics; Neurology & Neurosurgery; Obstetrics & Gynecology; Orthopedics; Pulmonology & Lung Surgery; Rehabilitation; and Urology. For three additional specialties—Ophthalmology, Psychiatry, and Rheumatology—rankings were determined through the expert opinions of more than 30,000 specialists collected over three years of surveys.
Key takeaways from this year’s report include the following.
Refined Methodology Puts Spotlight on Specialty Care
Expanded Evaluation of Procedures & Conditions
This year, two new categories have been added to the Procedures & Conditions ratings for specialty hospitals. The Heart Arrhythmias category evaluates inpatient care for atrial fibrillation and other cardiac rhythm disorders, while the Pacemaker Implantation category assesses care for patients receiving a pacemaker for the first time.
These ratings highlight hospitals that provide exceptional care for common procedures and conditions, such as knee replacements or prostate cancer surgeries. A hospital’s overall performance in both the Procedures & Conditions ratings and its specialty rating determines its inclusion on the Best Regional Hospitals list.
Specialty Care Rankings Highlight Key Industry Trends
As Baby Boomers and Gen X populations age, demand for specialty care continues to rise. A CDC report indicates that 93% of adults aged 65 and older have at least one chronic condition, and 79% have two or more. Globally, the specialty hospital market generated \$500 billion in revenue in 2024 and is projected to grow to \$850 billion by 2033.
“Specialty lists can be particularly useful for rare disease research,” said Dr. Nick Pappas III, an orthopedic surgeon in Metairie, LA. “These centers may have specialized technology or advanced treatments, like certain radiation therapies, not available at community hospitals. For rare or complex conditions, it can be beneficial to seek care at hospitals with concentrated expertise.”
U.S. News highlights that its Best Hospitals Specialty rankings are intended for patients facing life-threatening or uncommon conditions who require hospitals with exceptional capabilities for managing high-risk, complex cases. Hospitals are ranked 1 to 50 within each specialty. Those outside the top 50 are categorized as High Performers, As Expected, or Evaluated. While most specialty ranking lists feature the top 50 hospitals, some may be shorter.
Highlighted below are several key specialties.
Cancer
The top five hospitals are, in order: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic-Rochester, and Massachusetts General Hospital.
This year’s Best 50 Cancer list includes five new entrants: AdventHealth Orlando, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, UF Health Shands Hospital, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center–University of Miami Hospitals & Clinics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and UNC Hospitals, Chapel Hill, NC.
For more details on this year’s cancer care center rankings, visit Oncology News Central.
Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery
The top five hospitals, in order, are: NYU Langone Hospitals, Mount Sinai Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic-Rochester, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia and Cornell.
This year’s Best 50 in Cardiology includes three new entrants: AdventHealth Orlando, Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, and Boston Medical Center.
Diabetes & Endocrinology
The top five hospitals, in order, are: Mayo Clinic-Rochester, New York-Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia and Cornell, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, NYU Langone Hospitals, and UCLA Medical Center.
This year’s Best 50 list includes nine hospitals that have advanced in the rankings: Duke University Hospital, UW Health University Hospital (Wisconsin), Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, Advocate Christ Medical Center, Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital, Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, Morristown Medical Center – Atlantic Health System, and Baptist Health Baptist Hospital.
Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
The top five hospitals, in order, are: Mayo Clinic-Rochester, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic, NYU Langone Hospitals, and Mount Sinai Hospital.
This year’s Best 50 list welcomes several new additions: Montefiore Einstein, AdventHealth Orlando, Hackensack University Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health, University of Kansas Hospital, Memorial Hermann Hospital, and Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus.
Neurology & Neurosurgery
The top five hospitals, in order, are: NYU Langone Hospitals, UCSF Health – UCSF Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia and Cornell, Mayo Clinic-Rochester, and Rush University Medical Center.
New additions to the Best 50 list this year include Boston Medical Center, M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center, UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside, Memorial Hermann Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and Endeavor Health NorthShore Hospitals.
Psychiatry
The psychiatry specialty hospital list for this year includes seven institutions. Ranked in order, they are: Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital – Belmont, MA, New York-Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia and Cornell, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, Yale New Haven Hospital, and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital.
Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
The top five hospitals, in order, are: NYU Langone Hospitals, Mayo Clinic-Rochester, UCSF Health – UCSF Medical Center, UCLA Medical Center, and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
New additions to the Best 50 Pulmonology list include AdventHealth Orlando, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Scripps La Jolla Hospitals, Mayo Clinic Health System – Eau Claire, and Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital.
Rheumatology
Rheumatology rankings were determined through expert opinion, resulting in 11 hospitals featured on the Best List. The top hospitals include Johns Hopkins Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, Hospital for Special Surgery, NY-Presbyterian University Hospitals of Columbia and Cornell, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Mayo Clinic – Rochester (tied for fourth).
U.S. News highlighted that patients may benefit more from a hospital that excels in the specific condition they need treated, rather than simply choosing the highest-ranked institution overall.
Ben Teicher, associate director of media relations at the American Hospital Association, added, “When making healthcare decisions, patients should consider all resources available. Hospital report cards are one tool, and the AHA encourages patients to combine that information with discussions with their healthcare team, family and friends, and other trusted medical advisors who understand their specific clinical needs.”
Hospital Access in Local Communities Now Ranked
This year, U.S. News introduced the **Best Regional Hospitals for Community Access** list, replacing last year’s Best Hospitals for Equitable Access ranking. The newly named list features 76 hospitals across 32 states. By comparison, last year’s equitable access list recognized 53 hospitals, with an additional 26 also highlighted. The list emphasizes regional hospitals’ commitment to providing care for socioeconomically vulnerable populations in their communities, according to a U.S. News spokesperson.
As Rick Pollack, President and CEO of the American Hospital Association, previously noted, hospitals and health systems serve as the backbone of communities. They support initiatives such as housing assistance, access to healthy food, educational programs, health screenings, transportation to medical appointments, vaccination clinics, and other programs that address the broader factors influencing community health and well-being.
Doctors Weigh In on Hospital Rankings: More Meaningful for Patients
Physicians note that hospital rankings often hold greater significance for patients than for the doctors themselves. Dr. Nick Pappas explained, “These lists are important from a PR perspective—they act as a stamp of approval. But there’s no guarantee that going to a highly-rated hospital means you won’t experience wait times, or that every aspect of your visit will be perfect,” he told MedCentral.
He added, “Patients tend to research their doctors as much as they research hospitals. Many come to me already knowing where I went to school or completed my fellowship. For them, it’s less about whether I’m at Hospital A or Hospital B and more about whether I’m the right doctor for their needs.”
Marco Fernandez, MD, an anesthesiologist and president of the Association for Independent Medicine, shared a similar perspective: “Rankings may influence some patients, but over time, confidence in hospitals is waning because patients often feel less individualized care. Whether a facility is hospital-owned, payor-owned, or backed by private equity, doctors face quotas and metrics, like seeing a set number of patients in a limited time. Patients notice this. Good hospital reviews can provide them with some reassurance.”
Interestingly, patient experience accounts for only 5% of a hospital’s U.S. News ranking.
Yet, Robert Frolichstein, MD, FAAEM, president of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, noted, “We do influence patients’ satisfaction scores and overall hospital experience—we just don’t get acknowledged for it.”
Dr. Frolichstein emphasized that most inpatients begin their journey in the Emergency Department. “Much of the patient experience is shaped by what happens in the ED. Hospital administrators aim for good patient care and often measure it through metrics used in rankings. But those metrics don’t always reflect what I—or other physicians—would consider excellent patient care,” he explained.
Other Notable Updates to the 2025–2026 Ranking Methodology
For the second consecutive year, the rankings incorporate outcomes from Medicare Advantage patients in addition to traditional Medicare. Last year, Medicare Advantage patients represented 51% of the Medicare-eligible population; in the 2025–2026 rankings, that share increased to 54%.
Nursing care evaluation was also expanded. Previously, the assessment focused solely on nursing staffing relative to patient days. This year, it additionally factors in patients’ ratings of nursing care from the national HCAHPS survey (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems), the first publicly reported survey capturing patients’ perspectives on hospital care.
