2 Wisconsin Medical Centers Among Best Children’s Hospitals: U.S. News

WISCONSIN — Two of Wisconsin's pediatric medical centers were recently ranked among the nation's best in U.S. News & World Report's 2023-2024 Best Children’s Hospital rankings, released Wednesday.

The rankings highlighted the top 50 facilities for 10 pediatric specialties: cancer; cardiology and heart surgery; diabetes and endocrinology; gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery; neonatology; nephrology; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; pulmonology and lung surgery; and urology.

For the third year, U.S. News provided expanded rankings of hospitals by both state and multi-state region. Every hospital included in the state rankings was ranked in at least two pediatric specialties.

In Wisconsin, two hospitals were included:

Children's Wisconsin Hospital in Milwaukee, State rank No. 1, Ranked in four pediatric specialties:

• Ranked 28 in cancer specialty.
• Ranked 24 in gastroenterology.
• Ranked 50 in nephrology.
• Ranked 47 in pulmonology and lung surgery.

American Family Children's Hospital in Madison, State Rank No. 2, Ranked in two pediatric specialties:

• Ranked 49 In cancer specialty.
• Ranked 47 in cardiology specialty.

Children's Wisconsin Hospital of Milwaukee was also ranked regionally among other Midwest hospitals. The facility earned a regional ranking of No. 14 with its four specialties.

The rankings include an Honor Roll, which includes hospitals ranked in multiple pediatric specialties. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center topped the Honor Roll for the first time, and was also the leading hospital in Ohio and the Midwest.

Rounding out the top 10 pediatric medical centers were Boston Children’s Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Children’s National Hospital (Washington, D.C.), Nationwide Children’s Hospital (Columbus, Ohio), UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Rady Children’s Hospital (San Diego) and Johns Hopkins Children’s Center (Baltimore).

The top hospitals by pediatric specialty are:

• Cancer: Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Hospital
• Cardiology and heart surgery: Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston
• Diabetes and endocrinology: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• Gastroenterology and GI surgery: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
• Neonatology: Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C.
• Nephrology: Boston Children's Hospital.
• Neurology & Neurosurgery: Boston Children's Hospital.
• Orthopedics: Boston Children's Hospital.
• Pulmonology & Lung Surgery: Texas Children's Hospital.
• Urology: Boston Children's Hospital.

U.S. News said it refined its methodology this year to put less emphasis on expert opinion and more weight on measures such as commitment to best practices and equity, diversity and inclusion.

“Parents of sick children face many difficult challenges, including how to identify the best children’s hospital to treat their illness or condition,” Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News, said in a news release. “The rankings, which are increasingly determined by objective measures of hospital quality, can help them make informed decisions.”