Johns Hopkins Named 'Best Hospital' -- Again

The title of "Best Hospital" in the United States goes to ... The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Again.

The Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins earned the top spot among about 5,000 hospitals in the United States for the 22nd year, according to U.S. News and World Report's 2011-2012 rankings released on Tuesday. It has earned the top spot every year since the U.S. News Media Group began publishing the annual list in 1990.

The latest report recognized 720 hospitals of 4,825 nationwide that rank among the best in their metro area or in at least one of 16 medical specialties.

This year only 140 of the total number of hospitals evaluated performed well enough in even one medical specialty to earn a national ranking, according to the U.S. News media release Tuesday.

The list covers all 94 metro areas that have a minimum of both 500,000 residents and one hospital that performed well enough to earn a place, as well as 16 medical specialties, from cancer and heart disease to urology and respiratory disorders.

The rankings derive from statistics in these specialties, such as fatality rates, patient safety and volume of procedure. They also rely on a national survey in which physicians named the hospitals they consider best in their specialty for the toughest cases.

Johns Hopkins earned the top spot of 17 "Honor Roll" hospitals given the distinction for "rare breadth and depth of medical excellence," according to U.S. News.

In 2010-2011, 152 hospitals made the rankings cut but only 14 placed on the honor roll for high scores in six or more of the total 16 specialties.

This year Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston overtook the Mayo Clinic for the number two spot with the Rochester, Minnesota-based clinic taking third.

Brigham and Women's Hospital, also in Boston, traded places with Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University Medical Center of St. Louis, moving up three spots to eighth while Barnes-Jewish dropped to 11th.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, and Stanford Hospital & Clinics of California all joined the 2011-2012 honor roll list.

The mission of "Best Hospitals" is to serve as a guide for patients in need of a high level of care, according to the U.S. News report. www.usnews.com/besthospitals

"These are referral centers where other hospitals send their sickest patients," Avery Comarow, U.S. News Health Rankings Editor, said in Tuesday's statement.

"Hospitals like these are ones you or those close to you should consider when the stakes are high."

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

Comments

[ignacio sanabria]

09:07 PM on 07/21/2011

Any hospital is as good as the doctors and their support staff are.

[Debbie Keith]

01:06 AM on 07/21/2011

Johns Hopkins and their great compedent drs and staff saved my life with the procedure that they did on me. And of course God knows when its your time. I had Dr Tamargo and his team perform a double brain aneurysm repair on me and I lived to praise their work. God Bless this hospital and their love and knowledge of peoples conditions. It was a little ways from my home but when you have great places to go to you travel to them. Consider 6 hours to Myrtle Beach that I love to visit just think that 2 hours to a great hospital is well worth my life for future learning and enjoyment. I praise this hospital and my research on them before the procedure paid off and I am glad I choose them. Thank you and God Bless Debbie

[NAVRETRD]

08:13 PM on 07/20/2011

TALK ABOUT ER'S, I HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER WHENT TO ER AND WAS TURNED AWAY, HANDED A COMPUTER FORM LTR STATING HIS CONDITION WAS NOT A MEDICLE EMERGENCY,WE HAVE NO MEDICAID DR'S HERE, SO WE HAD TO PRATICLY CARRY HIM OUT. LOOKS LIKE THEY WILLGET AROUND THE LAW BY THIS ACTION AND WITHHOLD TREATMENT!

[buzzina]

08:09 PM on 07/20/2011

See Hugo Chavez, if you were not such an idiot you could have been treated at one of these hospitals instead of a third world country. You certaily have enough money to afford the best of care.

[NAVRETRD]

07:56 PM on 07/20/2011

WELL SINCE MYLOCAL HOSPITAL IS WHERE I HAVE TO GO ,WONDER WHERE THEY STAND, DO THE CURE OR KILL ME ?

[vbswte]

07:54 PM on 07/20/2011

Congrats to all the hospitals on the list! I live in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area and have to wish the warmest regards, and as far as I am concerned, to the NO. #1 spot (equally) to Norfolk General Hospital and Virginia Beach General's Trauma Care team for their life saving of my daughter due to a brain hemorrhage in 2009. At Norfolk General my daughter had cyber knife surgery done with the very latest machine procedure and machinary. I think there are several hospitals that didn't make it to the list, but with just as much star quality as the larger hospitals! Maybe they should rate them more on size with quality than just the larger big name ones wins....but, gosh, that might take away from the money they make in those places.

[jlspin8130]

07:47 PM on 07/20/2011

Not so fast. Hopkins told my 49 y/o cousin she had Alzheimer's (probably to get her out of their hair). They tried to show it with a lot of expensive tests and scientific jargon, when all she really had was depression and alcohol over-use. Hopkins has a lot of money, talks a good game, but I don't think they are that great.

[Knowitall]

07:04 PM on 07/21/2011

Could you give at least one more example?

[2drunk2votein08]

07:36 PM on 07/20/2011

Does Johns Hopkins still put RADIUM in the oatmeal and serve it to the speacial neads children?

[kenwyk]

07:34 PM on 07/20/2011

Any hospital is only as good as the Nurse,clinical laboratory scientist, and pharmacist on duty at that time, no exceptions. Should any one of them make a mistake, and that can happen at any time, that hospital is labeled as a "D" rated healthcare facility.

[Justmetootles]

07:28 PM on 07/20/2011

I live in Oregon and I wish we had a good hospital close by. We don't live close enough to Portland to go there. Our county and surrounding area has been taken over by a "medical mafia" group. . You can't get any medical help unless you go to their doctors, clinics and hospitals. They managed to run out any doctors over the years that wouldn't join their group. Talk about a monopoly, they are a classic one!

[nwalibran]

07:14 PM on 07/20/2011

I'm so proud of John Hopkins Hospital to continually be name best Hospital in the nation...Those that have either worked or be a patient there can't argue that they do have the best and the brightest doctors, and ask any young doctor/surgeon when he or she has trained at Hopkins when they begin thier medical careers they are ready.

[shirleeinny]

06:44 PM on 07/20/2011

Re: University Of Rochester...Love Dr, Francisco Tausk, and Dr. Christopher Ritchlin., the only ones who have helped me and I have been everywhere.

[shirleeinny]

06:32 PM on 07/20/2011

Put The University of Rochester Hospital, Rochester, NY, on the list. Great place, Wonderful Doctors, Interns and staff. The first time I went there I noticed how the whole place sparkled.and how everyone from the person cleaning to the office staff etc..were friendly and helpful.
I have to go there twice a month and I feel good about it from A-Z.

[zaxmom42]

06:28 PM on 07/20/2011

why do CLINICS get top ratings for HOSPITALS? I have been a patient at the Mayo CLinic. THERE IS NO HOSPITAL. You can't, therefore, use fatalities and patient saftey as part of the protocol for ratings? If its hospitals they're rating, then rate HOSPITALS!

[pepper1311]

06:53 PM on 07/20/2011

Hopkins is a hospital.

[Mikeaperry]

01:14 PM on 07/21/2011

It's Saint Marys. Just down the road. http://www.mayoclinic.org/saintmaryshospital/

[cae973]

05:14 PM on 07/20/2011

well regardless of the list, and i notice that huffington always pushes Calif...I would not go to Calif for a hospital or vacation even if it was free!

[Misty Sanchez]

06:31 PM on 07/20/2011

Hmmmm. You must be from the Midwest cae973

[Knowitall]

07:14 PM on 07/21/2011

Too bad. I'm from the East, and wouldn't live anywhere else, but I've had some great vacations in California. America is a great country (interesting and very beautiful as well) I wouldn't count out any State. It's best to travel around the country with an open mind--you might like our country.