3 IL Medical Centers Among Best Children’s Hospitals: U.S. News

ILLINOIS — Three pediatric medical centers in Illinois 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 regions. Every hospital included in the state rankings was ranked in at least two pediatric specialties.

In Illinois, the following hospitals were included:

Lurie Children’s Hospital, Chicago, Ranked No. 1 in Illinois, Ranked in nine pediatric specialties:

• Ranked 17th In Cancer Care
• Ranked 23rd in Cardiology and Heart Surgery
• Ranked 21st in Diabetes and Endocrinology
• Ranked 13th in Gastroenterology and GI Surgery
• Ranked 12th in Neonatology
• Ranked 14th in Nephrology
• Ranked 10th in Neurology and Neurosurgery
• Ranked 19th in Pulmonology and Lung Surgery
• Ranked 12th in Urology

Advocate Children’s Hospital, Oak Law and Park Ridge Ranked No. 2 in Illinois Ranked in 1 pediatric specialty:

• Ranked 32nd in Cardiology and Heart Surgery

University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital, Ranked No. 2 in Illinois, Ranked in 1 pediatric specialty:

• Ranked 41st in Gastroenterology and GI Surgery

Lurie Children’s Hospital was ranked as the seventh-best hospital in the Midwest while Advocate Children’s Hospital and Comer Children’s Hospital tied for 20th in the regional rankings.

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 GI surgery: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
• Neonatology: Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C.
• Nephrology: Boston Children's Hospital.
• Neurology & Neurosurgery: Boston Children's Hospital.
• Orthopedics: Boston Children's Hospital.
• Pulmonology & 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.”