U.S. News & World Report Announces 2026-2027 Best Hospitals, Introducing Regional Specialty Rankings to Help Patients Find Complex Care Close to Home

The latest edition also recognizes 505 Best Regional Hospitals across the U.S.

U.S. News & World Report has released its 2026-2027 Best Hospitals rankings, introducing new regional specialty rankings designed to help patients identify high-quality care closer to home.

The new regional rankings evaluate hospitals in four specialties—Cancer, Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery, Orthopedics, and Rehabilitation—reflecting the reality that most patients seek care within their local communities. The expanded rankings complement the publication’s national hospital evaluations by highlighting top-performing regional providers for complex care.

This year’s report recognizes 505 Best Regional Hospitals across 49 states and Washington, D.C., based on patient outcomes for common procedures and conditions. U.S. News also named 73 Best Regional Hospitals for Community Access, recognizing organizations that deliver high-quality care to underserved populations.

The rankings are based on more than 800 million patient care records and evaluate hospitals using measures including risk-adjusted mortality, preventable complications, patient safety, and patient experience. U.S. News said outcome-based measures now carry greater weight in its methodology, particularly within Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery.

The annual Honor Roll recognizes 20 hospitals nationwide for exceptional performance across multiple specialties.

According to U.S. News, the expanded regional rankings are intended to help patients and providers make more informed decisions by identifying leading specialty care available closer to home.

For the complete rankings, visit health.usnews.com/best-hospitals.