U.S. News & World Report’s annual hospital ranking is out for the 2024-2025 year.
Spoiler alert: No Central Texas hospital made the list of top 20 hospitals in the country, but some did make the top 50 in one of the 15 specialties considered and others made the “high performing” designation, which is the top 10% in that specialty of the 6,334 hospitals evaluated.
How are these rankings determined?
U.S. News & World Report does physician surveys, looks at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data and information from the American Hospital Association and other professional organizations.
Patient outcomes, patient experience, care-related factors such as nurse staffing levels and the depth of patient services, and expert opinions through the physician surveys created the basis for the rankings, with patient outcomes carrying the most weight.
How did local hospitals rank?
St. David’s Medical Center: No. 1 in Austin, No. 10 in Texas, and No. 32 in the country for rehabilitation. It ranked high performing in leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma and colon cancer surgery; heart attack, aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, transcatheter aortic valve replacement; kidney failure; back surgery; hip and knee replacements; and pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Ascension Seton Medical Center: No. 2 in Austin, No. 15 in Texas. High performing in leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma and colon cancer and gynecological cancer surgery; heart attack and heart failure; and stroke.
St. David’s South Austin Medical Center: No. 3 in Austin, No. 23 in Texas. High performing in leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma; colon and prostate cancer surgeries, heart attacks and heart failure; kidney failure; and pneumonia.
Dell Children’s Medical Center: No. 36 in the country for neonatology and No. 48 in the country for cardiology and heart surgery.
Read more: Which three Austin hospitals made Fortune magazine’s national Top 100 list?
What other hospitals were recognized?
Ascension Seton Hays Medical Center: High performing in heart attack and heart failure.
Ascension Seton Williamson Medical Center: High performing in heart attack and stroke.
Baylor Scott & White Round Rock: High performing in colon cancer surgery; heart attack and heart failure; kidney failure; stroke; and pneumonia.
Central Texas Medical Center in San Marcos: High performing in heart attack.
Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas: High performing in strokes.
Northwest Hills Surgical Hospital: High performing in back surgery.
St. David’s North Austin: High performing in heart attack and heart failure; kidney failure; stroke; and hip and knee replacements.
St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center: High performing in heart attack and heart failure; and kidney failure.
All the other hospitals were not ranked or did not have high performing ratings.
How should you view these rankings?
This is just one of the ranking systems hospitals fall into.
Fortune magazine named three local hospital to its top 100 hospitals list.
The Leapfrog Group ranks all hospitals mainly by safety.
And the Lown Institute ranked one area hospital as being the most socially responsible.
These rankings are information, but there’s not a clear winning hospital that shows up at the top of all of these lists.
Read more: Several Austin area hospitals received A and B grades. Here’s which ones got a C
Read more: Which Austin-area hospital scored the best in equity, costs and outcomes?