Two children’s hospitals in the D.C. region were recently ranked in the list of best medical centers in the country by the U.S. News & World Report.
Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore came in at number five and D.C.’s Children’s National Health System 10th in the publication’s ranking of the best pediatric care centers.
“Both hospitals are among just two dozen hospitals nationwide to rank in the top 50 across all 10 specialties,” Ben Harder, company managing editor and chief of health analysis, said in a statement. “The fact that we have two hospitals in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area that are ranked in all 10 specialties really means that these are hospitals that do well across a broad swath of pediatric care and can really be an asset and resource for the community whenever there’s a challenge for children who are sick.”
The annual report also noted both facilities’ excellence in 10 specialties that are often used to evaluate pediatric centers, with Johns Hopkins ranking fourth for neonatal care and Children’s National Hospital topping neonatology and medical care for newborns, as well as placing in the top 50 for every pediatric specialty.
”There are lots of great hospitals in neonatology — you don’t have to be No. 1 to be a great place to get neonatology care — but certainly Children’s National Medical Center is very good at taking care of kids who are born and need immediate care in that critical neonatal period,” Harder said.
Children’s hospitals have been largely unaffected by financial challenges facing other hospital networks across the country, and some have even partnered with suburban hospitals to increase access.
With the welcome news from the report, D.C.’s Children’s National Health System, which benefits from local philanthropy and government grants to provide care for uninsured families, could see an even greater influx of funds as varied families seek top-notch health care in the region.
