When a major illness afflicts a child, parents want to find the best help possible in order to restore their child to health. Many of the top specialists are affiliated with children’s hospitals. These hospitals often can utilize treatments available nowhere else.

Each year, U.S. News & World Report issue their list of the Best Children’s Hospitals. The top 50 hospitals are listed, and the top hospital in each of ten specialty areas is also listed. In order to rank the hospitals, U.S. News utilizes surveys of health professionals. Surveys are sent to both doctors and hospitals.

The overall top-ranked hospital this year was also the top-ranked hospital in several specialties including neurology, orthopedics, and nephrology. Boston Children’s Hospital cares for patients up to their 21st birthday. Over 500,000 patients visit the hospital each year for a variety of procedures ranging from the more common to those which are highly specialized.

Coming in second according to U.S News & World Report was the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. This hospital also received recognition as the top hospital for the treatment of cancer in children.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital is a 600-bed facility where over one million patients are seen each year. Patients came from all 50 states to seek care last year.

In the third position in the rankings is the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. This hospital topped the rankings in the medical specialties of urology and endocrinology which includes the treatment of children with diabetes.

Founded in 1855, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is one of the oldest hospitals in the United States exclusively devoted to pediatric care. This hospital sees patients from all parts of the United States and nations around the world.

The next place in the rankings is the Texas Children’s Hospital. This hospital is well-known for being at the forefront of treating children with cardiovascular disease. In the rankings, it received the top rank in the treatment of the specialty areas of cardiology and pulmonology.

The Texas Children’s Hospital has three campuses to serve patients. Two locations are in Houston, and one location is in the Woodlands, Texas. This is a non-profit hospital devoted to treating children and training doctors to continue to treat children in the future.

There are many outstanding children’s hospitals in the United States. When parents need to find the very best treatment for their children, children’s hospitals throughout the nation are there to help.