Mass General Ranked Second in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals List

For the second year in a row, Massachusetts General Hospital has been named the No. 2 hospital in the country. No surprise here.

What is surprising, however, is that the Mayo Clinic took the No. 1 spot for the first time ever this year, leapfrogging last year’s No. 1, Johns Hopkins, which fell to No. 3. Prior to 2012, Johns Hopkins had a firm hold on the No. 1 spot for 21 years.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which, like Mass General, is a part of the Harvard teaching hospitals, was ranked No. 9 this year, keeping a tight grip on the same spot it held last year.

U.S. News says on its website that the Mayo Clinic “barely edged out” Mass General. And not to toot our own horn, but the city of Boston is the only city on the list with two hospitals in the top 10 (#justsaying). In addition, Boston Children’s was ranked the No. 1 children’s hospital just last month by the same publication.

U.S. News also included Massachusetts General Hospital for Children in pediatrics, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in multiple specialties, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in rehabilitation in its evaluation of Mass General.

U.S. News publishes its “Best Hospitals” guide to help patients choose hospitals based on “using objective measures such as patient survival and safety data, adequacy of nurse staffing levels and other data.” For the 2014-15 calendar year, U.S. News evaluated hospitals in 16 adult specialties and ranked the top 50 in most of the specialties.

“The data tells the story—a hospital that emerged from our analysis as one of the best has much to be proud of,” said U.S. News Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow in a statement. “A Best Hospital has demonstrated its expertise in treating the most challenging patients.”

In the specialty rankings, Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center, a collaboration between Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which provides comprehensive, specialized care for adults with cancer, was ranked No. 4 in the country—one place higher than last year—and No. 1 in New England for the 14th straight year.

“Our caregivers and staff work every day to provide the very best care possible for our patients and families,” said Edward J. Benz, Jr., MD, president of Dana-Farber in a statement. “We do so in a unique way that combines deep expertise and specialization, knowledge of the underlying biology of cancer, teamwork, and an extraordinary focus on the needs of our patients. It’s nice to see this approach recognized by U.S. News.”

Below, the top 10 hospitals in Massachusetts as per U.S. News:

1. Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston

2. Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston

3. Baystate Medical Center in Springfield

4. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston

5. Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge

6. McLean Hospital in Belmont

7. New England Baptist Hospital in Boston

8. South Shore Hospital in South Weymouth

9. Tufts Medical Center in Boston

10. Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington