Local Hospitals: 2021 U.S. News Rankings

UNION CITY, CA — Several hospitals in California, including here in the San Francisco Bay Area, are considered among the best in the nation, according to a new ranking.

The 2021-22 Best Hospitals rankings, released Tuesday by U.S. News and World Report, rates the best overall hospitals as well as others that consistently deliver the best care.

To compile the rankings, U.S. News compared more than 4,750 medical centers nationwide in 15 specialties and 17 procedures and conditions including cardiology, neurology, geriatrics, orthopedics and more.

U.S. News also added seven new procedures or conditions to the rankings this year, including heart attack, stroke, pneumonia, diabetes, kidney failure, hip fracture and back surgery.

The goal of the rankings is to help patients choose a hospital based on the specific type of care they need.

Here in the Bay Area, two hospitals were ranked in the top 20 overall. UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco was ranked 9th in the nation, followed by Stanford Health Care-Stanford Hospital, Palo Alto, at 12th.

In the San Francisco metro ranking, which does not include Santa Clara County, here are the top hospitals:

• UCSF Medical Center (1)
• John Muir Health-Walnut Creek Medical Center (2)
• John Muir Health-Concord (3)
• Sequoia Hospital (4)
• Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (5)
• Kaiser Permanente Oakland and Richmond Medical Centers (6)
• California Pacific Medical Center (tie-7)
• Kaiser Permanente San Leandro Medical Center (tie-7)

Children's hospitals are ranked separately.

In the San Jose metro ranking Stanford, Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center, and El Camino Hospital received the top 3 rankings.

In Fremont, three hospitals were evaluated — Fremont Hospital (psychiatric), Kaiser Permanente Fremont Medical Center, and Washington Hospital.

Kaiser Permanente Fremont Medical Center received the top ranking, High Performing, in the following:

• Heart Failure
• Stroke
• Pneumonia

Washington Hospital received the top ranking, High Performing, in the following:

• Heart Failure
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Knee Replacement
• Hip Replacement

Fremont Hospital did not receive High Performing rankings.

UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles was named the top hospital in California and was ranked the third best in the nation. The hospital received high marks in specialties and procedures including cancer; cardiology and heart surgery; diabetes and endocrinology; ear, nose and throat; gastroenterology and GI surgery; geriatrics; gynecology; neurology and neurosurgery; ophthalmology; orthopedics; psychiatry; pulmonology and lung surgery; rheumatology; urology; abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; aortic valve surgery; back surgery; colon cancer surgery; COPD; diabetes; heart attack; heart bypass surgery; heart failure; hip fracture; hip replacement surgery; kidney failure; knee replacement surgery; ling cancer surgery; pneumonia; stroke; trans catheter aortic valve replacement.

Data used to determine this year’s best hospitals came from a period predating the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning rankings were not affected by the pandemic’s effect on hospitals.

The methodology for the rankings is based largely on objective measures such as risk-adjusted survival and discharge-to-home rates, volume and quality of nursing, among other care-related indicators.

Learn more about the Best Hospitals methodology.

Of the hospitals analyzed by U.S. News, 531 were recognized as Best Regional Hospitals, based on their strong performance in multiple areas of care.

In addition to state, regional and specialty rankings, U.S. News also announced the 20 hospitals that made it to this year’s Honor Roll, which recognizes the top hospitals nationwide that deliver exceptional treatment across multiple areas of care.

For the sixth consecutive year, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. claimed the No. 1 spot on the Best Hospitals Honor Roll, while Cleveland Clinic ranked No. 2, followed by UCLA Medical Center at No. 3.

In the specialty rankings, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ranked No. 1 in cancer, the Cleveland Clinic is No. 1 in cardiology and heart surgery, and Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City is No. 1 in orthopedics.

See this year’s full Best Hospitals ranking.