Yale New Haven Hospital remains Connecticut’s only hospital with nationally ranked specialty programs, while Hartford Hospital continues to demonstrate broad clinical strength in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-27 Best Hospitals rankings, released Tuesday.
The annual report this year introduced new regional specialty rankings aimed at helping patients identify top-performing hospitals closer to home.
The report placed YNHH among the nation’s top 50 hospitals in five specialties: psychiatry (sixth), orthopedics (39th), geriatrics (40th), neurology and neurosurgery (43rd) and obstetrics and gynecology (48th). No other Connecticut hospital earned a national specialty ranking.
YNHH also received “high-performing” ratings in five additional specialties — cancer, cardiology, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and pulmonology — and earned 18 high-performing ratings for individual procedures and conditions.
In a statement issued Tuesday, YNHH President Dr. Katherine Heilpern said the hospital’s national rankings “highlight the depth of expertise and dedication that define our organization.”
While Hartford Hospital did not place in the national specialty rankings, it led the state by earning 21 high-performing procedure and condition ratings. It also topped Connecticut in two of U.S. News’ new regional specialty rankings, finishing No. 1 in cardiology, heart and vascular surgery and rehabilitation.
The new regional specialty rankings represent one of the biggest changes to this year’s evaluation. U.S. News said it now ranks hospitals within their regions in four specialties — cancer, cardiology, orthopedics and rehabilitation — to help patients compare local hospitals for complex care.
Among other Connecticut hospitals, Greenwich Hospital ranked second in the state for orthopedics, followed by Stamford Hospital, which also earned 11 high-performing procedure and condition ratings. Bridgeport Hospital received 12 high-performing ratings, while St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford earned eight and St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport received seven.
U.S. News said it also increased the weight given to risk-adjusted patient outcomes, including mortality and complication rates, in determining this year’s rankings. The publication analyzed more than 800 million patient records in evaluating hospitals nationwide.
The rankings, now in their 37th year, are intended to help patients and physicians make informed decisions about where to receive care, particularly for complex conditions and procedures.
