UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Rank Among Nation’s Best in 2023-24

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals have been recognized among the nation’s best pediatric medical centers in all 10 specialties assessed in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals 2023-24, reflecting the exceptional quality of care the hospitals provide.

Together, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals in Oakland and San Francisco ranked ninth nationwide in newborn specialty care (neonatology) and placed among the top 20 children’s hospitals nationwide in seven pediatric specialties, including cancer, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and GI surgery, kidney care (nephrology), neonatology, neurology and neurosurgery, and pulmonology and lung surgery. The hospitals also were recognized nationally in cardiology and heart surgery, orthopedics, and urology.

They were the best children’s hospitals in Northern California in three pediatric specialty areas: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, and gastroenterology and GI surgery. Together, the hospitals tied for the best in Northern California, and also tied for the No. 3 children’s hospitals in the entire Pacific Region, which includes Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington.

“Our teams are driven by a passion to deliver the highest-quality care to young patients, including the most vulnerable,” said Suresh Gunasekaran, president and chief executive officer of UCSF Health. “I am so proud of the continued national recognition of their excellence. Having a world-class pediatric enterprise as part of our health system is critical to UCSF Health's ability to care for all members of the Bay Area community.”

The annual U.S. News rankings serve as a guide to hospitals nationwide that excel in treating children with the most challenging diagnoses. This is the eighth year in which the two UCSF Benioff hospitals have ranked together among the best children’s hospitals in all 10 areas. This year, their combined rankings rose in the six specialty areas of pediatric cancer, cardiology, diabetes/endocrinology, gastroenterology/GI surgery, neurology/neurosurgery and pulmonology/lung surgery.

“We’re pleased to see the steady rise in our rankings across so many specialty areas as we continue to expand our pediatric health network in Northern California,” said Matthew Cook, president of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. “This reflects hard work by thousands of physicians, nurses, staff and trainees, who bring their best to our hospitals and clinics every day on behalf of the patients and families we serve.”

The 2023-24 results represent the 17th year of pediatric rankings. The methodology reflects clinical outcomes such as patient survival, infection rates and complications; the level and quality of hospital resources directly related to patient care, including staffing, special services and technology; delivery of health care, including programs to prevent infection and promote adherence to best practices; and expert opinion from surveys of 6,331 pediatric specialists.

Of the 119 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 on August 1, 2023.