Out of nearly 5,000 hospitals reviewed, The Johns Hopkins Hospital ranked No. 4 in the nation in the annual U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals list, released today. Ten specialties at The Johns Hopkins Hospital are ranked among the top five in the nation, and 14 specialties are in the top 10.
Johns Hopkins is also the top-ranked hospital in Maryland.
"It is thanks to our employees that Johns Hopkins' legacy of clinical excellence and patient- and family-centered care continues to flourish," Paul B. Rothman, dean of the medical faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Ronald R. Peterson, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine, wrote in a message to Johns Hopkins employees. "The Johns Hopkins Hospital's record as a U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital over the past 27 years is unparalleled. ... We are honored to be among all the hospitals that made the list and, like us, continue to improve care for the people in our local communities and around the world."
Johns Hopkins earned the No. 1 ranking for 22 years, including an unprecedented 21 years in a row from 1991 to 2011.
The Mayo Clinic claimed the top spot in this year's U.S. News rankings, followed by the Cleveland Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, Johns Hopkins, and UCLA Medical Center.
Among specialty areas, Johns Hopkins ranked:
- No. 1 in Rheumatology
- No. 2 in Neurology and Neurosurgery
- No. 3 in Ear, Nose & Throat
- No. 3 in Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
- No. 3 in Ophthalmology
- No. 4 in Diabetes & Endocrinology
- No. 4 in Geriatrics
- No. 4 in Psychiatry
- No. 4 in Urology
- No. 5 in Nephrology
Three of the Johns Hopkins Medicine member hospitals were recognized in the regional rankings. The Johns Hopkins Hospital ranked No. 1 in all specialties in Maryland and in Baltimore; Suburban Hospital ranked No. 11 in Maryland and No. 6 in the Washington, D.C., area; and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center ranked No. 13 in Maryland and No. 11 in Baltimore.
Rothman and Peterson noted that changing in the methodology used by U.S. News in determining its rankings had a significant impact on Johns Hopkins. One was the way points are calculated and allocated for each specialty. The other was the inclusion of hip and knee replacements, which are mostly performed at member hospital Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, rather than at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Rothman, Peterson, and other leaders at Johns Hopkins have been working with U.S. News to support the use of data that are relevant to Maryland hospitals and to continue to improve the rigor with which data are evaluated.
"What is most important is that our patients and the care they receive remain our top priorities," they wrote. "We look forward to our collective focus on continued improvements."
More details on the rankings and methodology can be found on the U.S. News website.
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