Mayo Clinic retains top spot on 2017-18 rankings of America's top hospitals

For the second year in a row — and the third time in four years — Rochester's Mayo Clinic has finished on top of U.S. News & World Report's rankings of the best hospitals in the United States. 

The 2017-18 list also rated Mayo No. 1 in six medical and surgical specialties — more than any other hospital in the country: 

• Diabetes and endocrinology
• Gastroenterology (GI) and GI surgery
• Geriatrics
• Gynecology
• Nephrology
• Neurology and neurosurgery

Additionally, the Rochester hospital system placed in the top five in six other specialties, including cancer and orthopedics. The annual rankings are based on factors such as safety, mortality rates, patient services and reputation with other specialists.

"Our staff should take away a sense of deep personal pride for the recognition of the work they do every single day," said Mayo Clinic President and CEO John Noseworthy. "These people get up every day to meet the needs of our patients. They work together, and in doing so they provide great care to our patients — and the nation notices, and they should be proud of that."

Rounding out the top five on this year's list were, in order: Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco.

For the first time ever, Mayo's Arizona campus also made the U.S. News and World Report's honor roll, finishing No. 20 in the nation. Its Jacksonville location was named the best hospital in Florida.

You can see the the full report here.

Cover photo by William Forsman