A tour of the 2021-22 Best Children’s Hospitals Honor Roll
Which hospitals are best prepared to care for the sickest kids? The 2021-22 U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals rankings identify 89 hospitals with demonstrated expertise in one or more of 10 pediatric specialties. Ten hospitals earned a place on the Best Children’s Hospitals Honor Roll.
10. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
Location: Palo Alto, California
Best Children’s Regional Hospital: Ranked #2 in California and #2 in the Pacific Region
Number of 2021-22 Honor Roll specialties: 10
Highest-ranking specialties: Neonatology (#3), Pediatric Nephrology (#4), Pediatric Pulmonology & Lung Surgery (#6)
Previous year’s rank: 10
See all of this hospital’s rankings.
9. UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Best Children’s Regional Hospital: Ranked #2 in Pennsylvania and #3 in the Mid-Atlantic Region
Number of 2021-22 Honor Roll specialties: 10
Highest-ranking specialties: Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery (#2), Pediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology (#7), Pediatric Gastroenterology & GI Surgery (#9)
Previous year’s rank: 9
See all of this hospital’s rankings.
8. Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Best Children’s Regional Hospital: Ranked #2 in Ohio and #2 in the Midwest Region
Number of 2021-22 Honor Roll specialties: 10
Highest-ranking specialties: Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery (#6), Pediatric Pulmonology & Lung Surgery (#7), Pediatric Cancer (#8)
Previous year’s rank: 8
See all of this hospital’s rankings.
7. Children’s National Hospital
Location: Washington, D.C.
Best Children’s Regional Hospital: Ranked #1 in the District of Columbia and #2 in the Mid-Atlantic Region
Number of 2021-22 Honor Roll specialties: 10
Highest-ranking specialties: Neonatology (#1), Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery (#3), Pediatric Cancer (#5)
Previous year’s rank: 7
See all of this hospital’s rankings.
6. Children’s Hospital Colorado
Location: Aurora, Colorado
Best Children’s Regional Hospital: Ranked #1 in Colorado and #1 in the Rocky Mountain Region
Number of 2021-22 Honor Roll specialties: 10
Highest-ranking specialties: Pediatric Gastroenterology & GI Surgery (#1), Pediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology (#4), Pediatric Pulmonology & Lung Surgery (#5)
Previous year’s rank: 6
See all of this hospital’s rankings.
5. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Location: Los Angeles, California
Best Children’s Regional Hospital: Ranked #1 in California and #1 in the Pacific Region
Number of 2021-22 Honor Roll specialties: 10
Highest-ranking specialties: Neonatology (#2), Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery (#3), Pediatric Orthopedics (#4)
Previous year’s rank: 5
See all of this hospital’s rankings.
4. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Best Children’s Regional Hospital: Ranked #1 in Ohio and #1 in the Midwest Region
Number of 2021-22 Honor Roll specialties: 10
Highest-ranking specialties: Pediatric Urology (#2), Pediatric Cancer (#3), Pediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology (#3)
Previous year’s rank: 3
See all of this hospital’s rankings.
3. Texas Children’s Hospital
Location: Houston, Texas
Best Children’s Regional Hospital: Ranked #1 in Texas and #1 in the Southwest Region
Number of 2021-22 Honor Roll specialties: 10
Highest-ranking specialties: Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery (#1), Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery (#2), Pediatric Nephrology (#3), Pediatric Pulmonology & Lung Surgery (#3)
Previous year’s rank: 4
See all of this hospital’s rankings.
2. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Best Children’s Regional Hospital: Ranked #1 in Pennsylvania and #1 in the Mid-Atlantic Region
Number of 2021-22 Honor Roll specialties: 10
Highest-ranking specialties: Pediatric Cancer (#1), Pediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology (#1), Pediatric Orthopedics (#1)
Previous year’s rank: 2
See all of this hospital’s rankings.
1. Boston Children’s Hospital
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Best Children’s Regional Hospital: Ranked #1 in Massachusetts and #1 in New England
Number of 2021-22 Honor Roll specialties: 10
Highest-ranking specialties: Pediatric Nephrology (#1), Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery (#1), Pediatric Pulmonology & Lung Surgery (#1), Pediatric Urology (#1)
Previous year’s rank: 1
See all of this hospital’s rankings.
New in 2021-22: Best Children’s Regional Hospitals
We spoke with parents and advocates of children requiring complex care. While the Best Children’s Hospitals Honor Roll represents the top-rated care across specialties, it’s not always possible to provide long-term care a distance from home when there are other family members and job responsibilities to consider.
For 2021, U.S. News is debuting a Best Children’s Regional ranking that recognizes the top-performing children’s hospitals in most states and in seven multi-state regions.
Find the best care near you at our Best Children’s Regional rankings page.
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The Honor Roll of U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals 2021-22 originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 06/15/21: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new rankings information.
