Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford Named as a Top 10 Children’s Hospital in the Nation by ‘U.S. News & World Report’

2020–2021 Best Children’s Hospitals annual survey ranks the top pediatric facilities in the country to help families with complex and rare conditions find the best medical care for their children

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford has been named among the top 10 children’s hospitals in the nation, according to the U.S. News & World Report 2020–2021 Best Children’s Hospitals survey, published today. The rankings show Packard Children’s Hospital as the top children’s hospital in Northern California and placed on the Best Children’s Hospitals Honor Roll, a designation awarded to pediatric centers that deliver exceptionally high-quality care across multiple specialties.

“The Honor Roll distinction is a direct result of the enduring pursuit of excellence and commitment to children’s health by our health care workers, staff, and providers, who make this level of care achievable,” said Paul King, president and chief executive officer of Stanford Children’s Health. “Thanks to them, our patients—children, expectant mothers, and their families—can have the confidence that they and their loved ones are receiving the finest care available anywhere.”

The annual Best Children’s Hospital survey rankings recognize the top 50 pediatric facilities across the United States in 10 pediatric specialties: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and GI surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and lung surgery, and urology.

One of two hospitals in California that achieved Honor Roll status, Packard Children’s is at the center of Stanford Children’s Health, the Bay Area’s largest health care enterprise dedicated exclusively to children and expectant mothers. For the fifth consecutive year, the hospital achieved rankings in all 10 specialties. This year’s survey ranked five of the hospital’s specialties in the top 10 and two in the top five nationwide. These included neonatology (No. 3), nephrology (No. 4), pulmonology and lung surgery (No. 7), neurology and neurosurgery (No. 8), and diabetes and endocrinology (No. 9).

“All of us at Stanford Medicine share in the pride and enthusiasm for this honor, earned by our talented faculty and staff, said Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine. “We are delighted to see Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford recognized, yet again, by U.S. News & World Report for providing our patients with exceptional and compassionate care." 

U.S. News & World Report introduced the Best Children’s Hospitals rankings in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available in consultation with their doctors and other medical professionals. The rankings are the most comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric hospitals.

The U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals rankings rely on clinical data and on an annual survey of pediatric specialists. The rankings methodology factors in patient outcomes, such as mortality and infection rates, as well as available clinical resources and compliance with best practices.

This is the 16th consecutive year that Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report surveys. Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2021, Packard Children’s is the youngest institution among the top hospitals, the rest of which have been in operation for 70 to 165 years.

For more information, visit Best Children’s Hospitals.