Cleveland Clinic remains on U.S. News & World Report’s 2026–27 Best Hospitals Honor Roll, but its cardiology program has fallen from No. 3 to No. 8 after the publication changed how heart-care performance is measured.
The five-place drop is notable because Cleveland Clinic held the country’s No. 1 cardiology, heart and vascular surgery ranking for three decades before losing the top position last year. U.S. News says the latest movement reflects its revised methodology—not evidence that the hospital’s quality of care declined.
Why did Cleveland Clinic’s heart ranking fall?
For 2026–27, 80% of each hospital’s heart-care score was determined by performance across 41 risk-adjusted outcome measures. These measures assess patient results while accounting for differences in age, health and medical complexity.
Patient experience contributed another 10%. U.S. News retired the heart-specialist opinion survey, which previously represented nearly one-third of the score. Measures including patient volume were also removed.
Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News, said the change in Cleveland Clinic’s position resulted from the new formula and did not indicate a decline in care.
This distinction matters because Cleveland Clinic accepts many complex referrals. Risk adjustment is intended to account for case severity, although rankings cannot capture every difference between individual patients, treatments and clinical circumstances.
Top eight U.S. heart hospitals for 2026–27
- NYU Langone Hospitals
- NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell
- Mayo Clinic, Rochester
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Mount Sinai Hospital
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Northwestern Memorial Hospital
- Cleveland Clinic
NYU Langone retained the top position for a second year. The same eight institutions occupied the leading eight places last year, but their order changed under the new scoring system.
Cleveland Clinic remains on the Honor Roll
The Honor Roll recognizes 20 hospitals with strong performance across multiple specialties. It is not numbered, so Cleveland Clinic’s No. 8 position applies only to cardiology, heart and vascular surgery—not its overall national standing.
According to the official Cleveland Clinic results, the institution has been recognized among America’s best hospitals for 36 consecutive years. It ranked nationally in 13 of 14 evaluated specialties and received “High Performing” ratings in 20 adult procedures and conditions.
Cleveland Clinic’s specialty rankings
- Gastroenterology and GI surgery: No. 2
- Rheumatology: No. 2
- Pulmonology and lung surgery: No. 6
- Geriatrics: No. 7
- Cardiology, heart and vascular surgery: No. 8
- Ophthalmology: No. 11
- Urology: tied at No. 11
- Neurology and neurosurgery: No. 12
- Cancer: No. 16
- Obstetrics and gynecology: No. 18
- Orthopedics: tied at No. 21
- Diabetes and endocrinology: No. 27
- Rehabilitation at Cleveland Clinic Avon: No. 29
The results complement the region’s wider strength in medicine and research, including the University of Pittsburgh’s health-related global rankings.
Best hospitals in Cleveland and Ohio
Cleveland Clinic remained No. 1 in Ohio and the Cleveland metropolitan area. It also ranked first statewide for cancer, cardiology and orthopedics and second for rehabilitation.
Fairview Hospital tied for No. 3 in Ohio, Hillcrest placed fifth and Akron General tied for seventh. In the Cleveland metro area, Cleveland Clinic, Fairview and Hillcrest claimed the first three positions.
University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center ranked fourth locally and ninth in Ohio. University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center placed fifth locally and tied for No. 10 statewide, marking its 28th consecutive year of recognition. MetroHealth placed sixth locally and No. 32 nationally for rehabilitation.
The rankings arrive as Ohio works to strengthen its medical workforce and clinical training, including through the Ohio University health education initiative.
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Northwestern and Rush lead in Illinois
Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Rush University Medical Center both made the national Honor Roll and tied for No. 1 in Illinois and Chicago.
Northwestern earned its 15th consecutive Honor Roll appearance and ranked No. 7 for cardiology. Rush made the Honor Roll for a seventh consecutive year and placed No. 14 for heart care.
What the rankings mean for patients
U.S. News evaluated nearly 4,500 hospitals across 14 specialties and 23 procedures and conditions. Only 178 hospitals earned at least one national top-50 specialty ranking, while 505 were recognized as Best Regional Hospitals.
Rankings can help patients compare hospitals, particularly for complex conditions, but they are only one consideration. Diagnosis-specific experience, physician expertise, insurance coverage, location and follow-up care may be equally important.
Cleveland Clinic’s heart ranking has changed, but it remains an Honor Roll hospital, Ohio’s top-ranked medical center and a national top-10 institution in five specialties.
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