By Rachel Auerbach
(CNN) — Johns Hopkins Hospital is back on top.
After spending 21 years as the country’s best hospital, according to U.S. News & World Report, Johns Hopkins Hospital relinquished its crown to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston in 2012.
This year, the roles have reversed yet again.
[Click here to see where Richmond-area hospitals ranked]
The annual U.S. News & World report evaluates more than 5,000 medical centers across the United States. The rankings consider 16 medical specialties from cancer to surgery to rehabilitation. If a hospital is considered one of the best in at least six specialties, it earns a spot on the coveted Honor Roll list.
This year, 18 hospitals across the country made the Honor Roll.
The top 10 are:
1. Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore
2. Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston
3. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota
4. Cleveland Clinic in Ohio
5. UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles
6. Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago
7. (tie) New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, New York
7. (tie) UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco
9. Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston
10. UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvania
While not in the top 10, VCU Medical Center ranked as the number one hospital in Virginia.
“We are ecstatic that the VCU Medical Center once again achieved this rank,” Sheldon Retchin, M.D., CEO of the VCU Health System and senior vice president for VCU Health Sciences, said in a statement. “The level of clinical excellence and research at our academic medical center is unsurpassed, and we are very proud of the entire health care team.”
Northwestern Memorial Hospital made the biggest jump on the list, rising six spaces from No. 12, while Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University in St. Louis had the largest loss, dropping nine spots.
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia made the Honor Roll list for the first time. The University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers in Ann Arbor fell off the list, although they still ranked for some specialties.
Don’t dismiss a hospital just because it doesn’t appear on the Honor Roll. For example, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston didn’t make the honor roll, but is ranked No. 1 for cancer treatment. Similarly, the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York is ranked best for orthopedics.
The Cleveland Clinic made the top of the list for cardiology and heart surgery, while Johns Hopkins Hospital led the rankings for neurology and neurosurgery.
New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Cleveland all have more than one Honor Roll hospital on the list.
U.S. News & World Report also released its children’s hospital rankings; Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia came in at No. 1.
Choosing a hospital that best fits your needs depends on factors like proximity and the severity of your condition. To find a hospital closer to home, you can check out the regional hospitals list.
The-CNN-Wire
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