WASHINGTON — U.S. News & World Report has released its 29th-annual rankings of America’s best hospitals, and one familiar name scored well on its nationwide “honor roll.”
Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore is ranked No. 3 on that esteemed list, which recognizes 20 hospitals that “deliver exceptional treatment across multiple areas of care,” U.S. News & World Report said in a prepared statement Tuesday.
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, topped the U.S. News honor roll for the third consecutive year. The Cleveland Clinic claimed the No. 2 spot.
“To be on the honor roll, a hospital needs to excel in virtually every area of complex specialty care,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News.
Hopkins, for instance, ranked No. 6 nationwide for cancer care; No. 2 for diabetes and endocrinology; No. 8 for ear, nose and throat; No. 4 for gastroenterology and GI surgery; No. 2 for geriatrics; and No. 4 for gynecology, among others.
Overall, the rankings size up over 4,500 hospitals nationwide across 25 specialties, procedures and conditions. In at least one specialty, 158 hospitals were nationally ranked. More than 1,100 were rated “high performing” in at least one common procedure or condition, and 29 received a “high-performing” rating in all nine procedures and conditions evaluated.
D.C. area’s top 10
1. Medstar Georgetown University Hospital in D.C. topped the D.C.-area rankings. It was recognized as No. 26 nationally in the diabetes and endocrinology category. “It’s also high-performing in multiple areas of care, including every aspect of cancer care that we evaluated,” Harder said.
2. Inova Fairfax Hospital in Annandale, Virginia, was high performing in a number of surgical procedures, including heart bypass surgery, colon cancer surgery, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair and aortic valve surgery.
3. (tie) Inova Fair Oaks Hospital in Chantilly, Virginia, earned high-performing marks in diabetes and endocrinology; nephrology; orthopedics; urology; heart failure treatment; and hip and knee replacement surgeries.
3. (tie) Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, Virginia, was high performing in seven categories, including nephrology, pulmonology and lung cancer surgery.
5. (tie) Medstar Washington Hospital Center in D.C. was recognized for its cardiac care nationally (49th). It was high performing in multiple types of heart surgery as well as in treating heart failure. It was also lauded for treating COPD and for colon cancer surgeries.
5. (tie) Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington was high-performing in six categories, including some aortic-valve and heart-bypass procedures and colon cancer surgery.
7. (tie) Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland, earned high-performing honors in three categories: COPD, heart failure and colon cancer surgery.
7. (tie) Inova Mount Vernon Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia, was a high performer in the orthopedics, hip-replacement surgery and knee-replacement surgery categories.
7. (tie) Inova Loudoun Hospital in Leesburg, Virginia, was recognized for gastroenterology and GI surgery, heart failure treatment and knee-replacement surgeries.
10. Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, was a high performer in the orthopedics, hip-replacement surgery and knee-replacement surgery categories.
‘Do your research’
U.S. News assembled the rankings with RTI International. The methodology was changed this year to include more emphasis on patient outcomes and patient experience.
Of the 16 specialties, 12 were ranked by data-driven indicators, while four (ophthalmology, psychiatry, rehabilitation and rheumatology) were determined by reputation, based on three years of physician specialist surveys.
The rankings are considered a tool when choosing the right hospital for specialized care, Harder said.
“Most patients do not need the kind of care that an honor roll hospital provides,” he said. “For most medical needs, there are great hospitals in the D.C. area that are entirely capable of treating you or your loved ones or whoever needs care.”
“But it is important to do your research and identify a hospital that is good in the specific kind of care you need.”
See the full rankings on the U.S. News & World Report site.
WTOP’s Kristi King contributed to this report.
