2 Minnesota Medical Centers Among Best Children’s Hospitals: U.S. News

MINNESOTA — Two pediatric medical centers in Minnesota are ranked among the nation’s best in U.S. News & World Report's 2023-2024 Best Children’s Hospital rankings released Wednesday.

The rankings highlight the top 50 centers in 10 pediatric specialties: cancer; cardiology and heart surgery; diabetes and endocrinology; gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery; neonatology; nephrology; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; pulmonology and lung surgery; and urology.

For the third year, U.S. News provided expanded rankings of hospitals by both state and multi-state region. Every hospital included in the state rankings was ranked in at least two pediatric specialties.

In Minnesota, the following hospitals were included:

• Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Rochester ranked first in the state and ranked in eight pediatric specialties: 16th in orthopedics and urology, 25th in cardiology and heart surgery, 26th in neonatology, 31st in neurology and neurosurgery, 37th in pulmonology and lung surgery, 40th in diabetes and endocrinology, and 49th in nephrology. The hospital was also ninth in the Midwest regional ranking.
• M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis ranked second in the state and ranked in two pediatric specialties: 22nd in nephrology and 48th in gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery. The hospital was 17th in the Midwest regional ranking.

The rankings include an Honor Roll, which includes hospitals ranked in multiple pediatric specialties. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center topped the Honor Roll for the first time, and was also the leading hospital in Ohio and the Midwest.

Rounding out the top 10 pediatric medical centers were Boston Children’s Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Children’s National Hospital (Washington, D.C.), Nationwide Children’s Hospital (Columbus, Ohio), UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Rady Children’s Hospital (San Diego) and Johns Hopkins Children’s Center (Baltimore).

The top hospitals by pediatric specialty are:

• Cancer: Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Hospital
• Cardiology and heart surgery: Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston
• Diabetes and endocrinology: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• Gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
• Neonatology: Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C.
• Nephrology: Boston Children's Hospital
• Neurology and neurosurgery: Boston Children's Hospital
• Orthopedics: Boston Children's Hospital
• Pulmonology and lung surgery: Texas Children's Hospital
• Urology: Boston Children's Hospital

U.S. News said it refined its methodology this year to put less emphasis on expert opinion and more weight on measures such as commitment to best practices and equity, diversity and inclusion.

“Parents of sick children face many difficult challenges, including how to identify the best children’s hospital to treat their illness or condition,” Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News, said in a news release. “The rankings, which are increasingly determined by objective measures of hospital quality, can help them make informed decisions.”