U.S. News and World Report has
named Boston Medical Center among the top hospitals in Massachusetts
for 2026-2027. The facility also received a number of other designations
and national rankings.
BMC
was named as the 5th best hospital in Massachusetts and the Boston
Metro area behind Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Mass General
Hospital, who tied for the #1 spot and Beth Isreal Deaconess Medical
Center, who came in at came in at #3. Lahey Clinic, in Burlington, was
the #4 best hospital.
Beyond
its regional ranking, BMC was named a top hospital for community
access, the fourth best hospital regionally for Cancer and ranked among
the top 50 hospitals nationally in four specialties which are
geriatrics, neurology & neurosurgery, urology and gastroenterology
& GI surgery.
The hospital also received from U.S. News high
performing designations for 11 procedures and conditions. In order to
be a best regional hospital, a facility needs to earn at least eight
high performing ratings out of the 23 evaluated procedures and
conditions.
According to the U.S. News & World Report website,
rating of the procedures and conditions are determined through
risk-adjusted outcomes, according to the website, such as 30-day
mortality rate and length of stay. Assessments are made using a number
of data sets, including sets from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid
Services.
National
specialty rankings are similarly determined through analysis of data
sets except for ophthalmology, psychiatry and rheumatology, which are
based on expert opinions.
BMC
Brighton and BMC South also received recognition from U.S. News &
World Report, earning high performing ratings in areas that directly
aligned with local community health needs, according to a press release.
“We are proud to have Boston Medical Center recognized as a Best
Regional Hospital and as one of the top five hospitals in
Massachusetts,” BMC’s Dr. David McAneny wrote in a statement to The Boston Guardian. “For
BMC, this is especially meaningful because it reflects the care our
teams provide every day to patients and families in Boston and across
the region and world.”
“We
were also named a Best Regional Hospital for Community Access, which
speaks directly to BMC’s longstanding commitment to making high-quality
care accessible to the diverse communities we serve,” he added.
McAneny
said that the recognition really reflects the people behind the care,
adding that after more than three decades with BMC, he has seen
firsthand the skill, compassion and dedication that BMC teams provide
every patient.
However,
former president of Beth Isreal Deaconess Medical Center Paul Levy says
that these rankings don’t actually carry as much weight as some might
believe.
“These
rankings simply don't tell you much or help you make decisions about
where to receive care,” Levy wrote in an email. “They lack a deep
understanding and data about quality and safety and, indeed, clinical
efficacy. Most people go to where their primary care doctor advises them
anyway. And those doctors have financial incentives to keep patients
within the health system with which they are affiliated.”
Even U.S. News admits
on its website that the highest-ranking hospitals are not always the
best choice, and that within the wide range that hospitals are
evaluated, hospitals can and do perform differently.
“Other
important considerations include the stress and expense of travel,
lodging in another city and whether your insurance plan will cover care
at an out-of-network hospital,” the website reads.
The rankings, Levy added, are mainly useful as a marketing tool and morale booster for hospital employees.
