Clinic
A young clinic outside a health clinic after she overcame the Ebola virus April 3, 2014 Reuters

Cleveland Clinic has secured the number one position in hospitals for cardiology and heart surgery for the twentieth time in a row. In addition to this, its urology program to ranked number one for a second time. Its urology program has been in the top two positions for 15 years in a row.

In the U.S. health system, Cleveland Clinic ranked fourth after Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, Massachusetts General Hospital and John Hopkins in Baltimore whereas in Ohio, it emerged a winner in the number one position.

Cleveland Clinic President, Managing Director and CEO, Toby Cosgrove, said, "This incredible recognition would not be possible without our devoted team of caregivers - 43,000 people who dedicate themselves to putting patients first every day. While these rankings are rewarding, we will continue to work hard to provide the highest quality, most efficient healthcare possible."

The hospital received the following rankings in the various departments: No. 2 in Rheumatology and Nephrology, No. 3 in Gynecology, Orthopaedics and Pulmonology, No. 6 in Ear, Nose and Throat, No. 7 in Ophthalmology, No. 9 in Geriartrics and No. 13 in Cancer. The community hospitals in Fairview, South Pointe, Marymount ranked No. 4, No. 6, No. 7 respectively and Euclid, Lutheran and Medina ranked No. 9 in the Cleveland Metro Area. It was also recognised as the best hospital in South Florida and the Cleveland Children's Clinic received rankings in all ten pediatric specialities, being the only hospital to achieve such a feat.

Comments by top-notch doctors and news editor

Chariman of the Clinic's Miller Family Heart and Vascular Institute, Dr. Bruce Lytle: We certainly are grateful for the recognition. People ought to feel pretty good about that - in Northeast Ohio they've got a heart program that's considered to be the best in the country for 20 years. That's no fluke. If over a number of years physicians send patients to a place and they do really, really well, that's what makes somebody's reputation. Actually I don't think reputation is a bad indicator at all of how well somebody does. It's a complex issue; there is no perfect metric.

U.S. News health rankings editor, Avery Comarow: U.S. News strives to provide patients and their families with the most comprehensive data available on hospitals,. With an estimated 400,000 deaths occurring in hospitals each year from medical errors, measuring safety performance is critical to understanding how well a hospital cares for its patients.

Chief medical officer at University hospitals, Dr. Michael Anderson, on new measures like complications in pressure sores and post-operative hip fractures being taken into account in the rankings: I think it's a wonderful move. If you're a patient and looking for the right place to have care, what's more important than safety and outcomes? We are very proud to continue to be ranked among the nation's best hospitals. I think these rankings continue to reflect the hard work that our physicians, nurses, and therapists put in each and every day focusing on safety and outcomes.