Out Tuesday is US News and World Report's "Best Hospitals" list for 2025-2026.
The annual ranking evaluates over 500 healthcare facilities across the country which it says have "demonstrated superior outcomes."
The goal is to offer options that those seeking care may want to consider says Senior Health Data Analyst Chelsey Wen.
"I think most, if not all, of the 20 hospitals on the honor roll are going to be ranked as number one in their metro and or state," says Wen. "So, some examples of that, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore."
That includes the very top spot, with Mayo Clinic both in Minnesota and in Rochester making the "honor roll list" of the best hospitals overall. Mayo Clinic again leads U.S. News and World Report’s "Best Hospitals" rankings for 2025-2026 – the 36th time since the rankings began.
Dr. Sean Doughty is the Mayo's chief value officer and he talked with the WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar.
"We do well in multiple specialties, so it's, we're not just a cancer center, we're not just a transplant center," says Doughty. "We excel in all those specialties just because that's what's necessary to take care of the patient."
Doughty says that grading high in patient experience is very important to Mayo.
"You look at, let's say for instance, the top 20 organizations or even the top 50 organizations on the US news list, we're the only organization that has 5 stars in age caps, for instance, which is the way of evaluating patient experience," he explained.
That experience is certainly true at the rest of the list which includes the usual standouts like Mass General, Johns Hopkins, the Cleveland Clinic, Cedars-Sinai and UCLA Medical Center.
U.S. News and World Report’s Honor Roll features the top 20 U.S. hospitals that earn the most points across 15 specialties and 22 procedures and conditions. The entire list can be seen here.
In the regional rankings for Minnesota, CentraCare in St. Cloud, and M Health Fairview's University of Minnesota Medical Center rounded out the top three.
"We are proud to once again be recognized as a leader in healthcare, a reflection of the unwavering commitment of our staff and their dedication to excellence, innovation and putting patients first," says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., Mayo Clinic president and CEO. "This honor reinforces our continued focus on raising the standard of what’s possible in medicine."
Mayo Clinic is the only healthcare organization with two hospitals on the list—Mayo Clinic in Arizona marks its ninth consecutive year and Mayo Clinic in Rochester again earned the highest overall point total.