4 VA, DC Medical Centers Among Best Children’s Hospitals: U.S. News

FALLS CHURCH, VA — One pediatric medical center in Washington, D.C. is ranked among the nation’s 10 best in U.S. News & World Report's 2023-2024 Best Children’s Hospital rankings. Three Virginia hospitals, including one in Northern Virginia, were included on the honor roll.

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.

Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., was ranked No. 5 nationally.

Three Virginia hospitals were included on the honor roll:

• University of Virginia Children's Hospital, Charlottesville, ranked No. 1 in the state
• Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, ranked No. 2
• Inova L.J. Murphy Children's Hospital, Falls Church, ranked No. 3

This was the third consecutive year U.S. News & World Report has named UVA Health Children’s, part of UVA Health, the No. 1 children’s hospital in Virginia. The publication’s 2023-24 guide ranks 9 out of 10 UVA Health Children’s specialties among the top 50 of all children’s hospitals nationally. Those specialties are:

• Neonatology (critical care for infants): 23rd
• Pediatric gastroenterology & GI surgery (digestive health): 29th
• Pediatric nephrology (kidney care): 32nd
• Pediatric diabetes & endocrinology: 34th
• Pediatric orthopedics: 34th
• Pediatric cardiology & heart surgery: 36th
• Pediatric pulmonology: 38th
• Pediatric neurology & neurosurgery: 40th
• Pediatric urology: 43rd

Inova L.J. Murphy Children's Hospital, Falls Church, was ranked in one pediatric specialty: No. 46 in neonatology.

Nearby Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., was ranked No. 5 nationally and ranked in 10 pediatric specialties:

• Ranked 4th in cancer treatment
• No. 46 in cardiology and heart surgery
• No. 7 in diabetes and endocrinology
• No. 8 in gastroenterology and GI surgery
• No. 2 in neonatology
• No. 6 in nephrology
• No. 3 in neurology and neurosurgery
• No. 7 in orthopedics
• No. 9 in pulmonology and lung surgery
• No. 13 in urology

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.”