UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Rank Among the Nation’s Best for 10 Specialties in 2020-2021 U.S. News & World Report

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals rank among the nation’s best pediatric medical centers in all 10 specialties that were assessed in the 2020-2021 U.S. News & World Report annual survey of Best Children’s Hospitals, reflecting the high quality of care the hospitals provide for our communities.

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland together ranked among the top 20 hospitals in the country in pediatric cancer, diabetes and endocrinology, neonatology, neurology and neurosurgery, and urology, and were Best in Northern California in children's cancer and urology care. They also scored high marks in five other pediatric specialties: cardiology and heart surgery, gastroenterology and GI surgery, nephrology, orthopedics and pulmonology.  

“We are extremely pleased that UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals have again been recognized for their excellence in pediatric care,” said Mark R. Laret, president and chief executive officer of UCSF Health. “These rankings are a reflection of the tremendous dedication and skill of our entire clinical team as we serve the families of Northern California.”

The annual U.S. News rankings serve as a guide of hospitals nationwide that excel in treating children with the most challenging diagnoses.

“These new rankings come at a time when communities across America are becoming acutely aware of health inequity in our nation and the need for high-quality care for our medically underserved patients,” said Michael Anderson, MD, MBA, a pediatrician and president of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. “Our hospitals are guided by our mission of providing the most innovative treatments and compassionate care to all children, regardless of race, immigration status or ability to pay. We are proud to be recognized for the excellence of care we provide to children who need it the most.”

The 2020-2021 results represent the 14th year of the pediatric rankings. The methodology reflects clinical outcomes such as patient survival, infection rates and complications; the level of hospital resources directly related to patient care, including staffing, special services and technology; delivery of health care, such as programs to prevent infection and promote adherence to best practices; and expert opinion from surveys of 5,027 pediatric specialists.

Among the 193 children’s hospitals reviewed this year, 88 hospitals were ranked among the top 50 in at least one specialty. Each facility was either a freestanding children’s hospital or an autonomous, multidisciplinary pediatric department within a major medical center. 

The complete list of children’s hospital rankings is available online and will be published in the Best Hospitals print guide in September. U.S. News & World Report will publish its adult hospital rankings July 28, 2020.

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals are among the nation’s leading pediatric specialty hospitals, according to U.S. News & World Report rankings. Their expertise covers virtually all pediatric conditions, including cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, pulmonology, diabetes and endocrinology, as well as the care of critically ill newborns. The two campuses in San Francisco and Oakland are known worldwide for basic and clinical research and are at the forefront of translating research into interventions for treating and preventing pediatric disease. They are part of UCSF Health, whose adult hospital ranks among the top 10 medical centers nationwide and serves as the teaching hospital for the University of California, San Francisco, a national leader in biomedical research and graduate-level health/sciences education.