UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Celebrate Top-Tier 2018-19 Rankings

Best Northern California Hospitals in 6 Specialties, per U.S. News & World Report

By Suzanne Leigh

premature baby stretches in his crib with an adult hand holding him
Jahkai McFarland stretches out in the neonatal intensive care unit at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, which ranked No. 7 for its neonatology program in the latest U.S. News Best Children's Hospitals rankings. Photo by Noah Berger

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals rank among the nation’s top-tier pediatric medical centers, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual survey for 2018-19.

In the Best Children’s Hospitals rankings, released on June 26, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals’ campuses in Oakland and San Francisco placed among the country’s finest in all 10 pediatric specialties that were surveyed. The annual pediatric rankings serve as a guide of hospitals that excel in treating children with the most challenging diagnoses.

parents with their premature baby talk with a neonatologist in the hospital
Jayalakshmi Ravindran (right), MD, checks in with a patient family in the neonatal intensive care unit at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. Photo by Alain McLaughlin.
Christine Fox talks to a woman in her office
Christine Fox (right), MD, specializes in pediatric stroke in the Pediatric Brain Center at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco. Photo by Barbara Ries 

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals were the top-ranked hospitals on the West Coast in neonatology and best in Northern California in five other specialties: pediatric cancer, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and GI surgery, neurology and neurosurgery and urology. They also placed among the top tier in cardiology and heart surgery, nephrology, orthopedics and pulmonology.

“We are delighted to see that UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals have again been recognized by U.S. News’ annual survey,” said Mark R. Laret, president and chief executive officer of UCSF Health. “This validation reflects the tremendous dedication of our physicians, nurses, technicians and other health care providers who commit their lives to the children who depend on us for their care, whether they are from Oakland and San Francisco, or farther afield in California and beyond.”

The two hospitals placed among the top 10 children’s hospitals nationwide in two specialties and among the top 25 in eight, reflecting a growing recognition of the caliber of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals among their national peers.

“I congratulate our entire clinical team on both sides of the San Francisco Bay for the dedication and compassion they bring to the children who come through our doors,” said Michael Anderson, MD, a pediatrician and president of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. “These children and their families depend on us to bring together the best clinicians in the nation to solve health problems that so many hospitals are unable to address. The perseverance, collaboration and drive that we see every day within our hospitals make a huge difference in the lives of children who need us most.”

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, Specialty Rankings 2018-19

#7 Neonatology*

#10 Diabetes & Endocrinology

#13 Cancer

#14 Nephrology

#18 Gastroenterology & GI Surgery

#18 Pulmonology

#19 Neurology & Neurosurgery

#25 Urology

#34 Cardiology & Heart Surgery

#47 Orthopedics

* Bold denotes best in Northern California; Neonatology is best on the West Coast.

The 2018-19 results represent the 12th year of the pediatric rankings. The methodology reflects clinical outcomes, such as survival, infection rates and complications; the level of hospital resources, including staffing, special services and technology; delivery of health care, which includes programs supporting compliance with best practices; and opinion among pediatric specialists.

Among the 189 facilities reviewed this year, 86 hospitals were ranked among the top 50 in at least one specialty.

The complete list of children’s hospital rankings will be published in the Best Hospitals print guide.

U.S. News will publish its best adult hospital rankings on Aug. 14, 2018.

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco

 
 

UCSF Health is recognized worldwide for its highly innovative patient care, reflecting the latest medical knowledge, advanced technologies and pioneering research. It includes the flagship UCSF Medical Center, which is ranked among the top five hospitals nationwide, as well as UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, with campuses in San Francisco and Oakland, Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, UCSF Benioff Children’s Physicians and the UCSF Faculty Practice. These hospitals serve as the academic medical center of the University of California, San Francisco, which is world-renowned for its graduate-level health sciences education and biomedical research. UCSF Health has affiliations with hospitals and health organizations throughout the Bay Area.