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.