U.S. News: 17 Best Hospitals in America

What are the best hospitals in the country? U.S. News may have the answer in its 2012-2013 Best Hospitals Honor Roll.

The 17 medical centers on this list make up less than 0.4 percent of the nearly 5,000 hospitals nationwide. Since 1990, U.S. News has ranked the top hospitals for patient care. In those 22 years, the magazine has set out to name the top skilled hospitals for high-stake medical situations, whether it's performing major surgery on a 90-year-old man or treating more spinal tumors in a few weeks than some community hospitals see in a full year.

These 17 hospitals scored at or near the top in at least six of the 16 Best Hospitals medical specialties, which include cardiology and heart surgery, cancer and psychiatry to name a few. Hospitals earned points for specialty rankings, and the scoring also factored in objective measures such as staffing, survival rates and patient safety data. To make the Honor Roll, a hospital had to earn at least one point in each of six specialties.

For the first time in 21 years, the reigning top hospital on the list has been replaced. From U.S. News, here are the top 17 Best Hospitals in the U.S.:

17. University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, Ann Arbor

University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers is a 880-bed teaching hospital with a general medical and surgical facility. The hospital's urology and ophthalmology departments are ranked No. 13 in the country, and its cancer program is nationally ranked 14th in the country.

Points: 6; High-ranking specialties: 6

In this image, doctors in the hospital's neurosurgery department discuss a patient's brain scan.

16. Indiana University Health, Indianapolis

A new addition to U.S. News' Honor Roll, Indiana University Health ranks nationally in 11 adult and 10 pediatric specialties. The 1,597-bed medical and surgical facility has the no. 8 spot in the country for its urology department, and is ranked no. 11 for its gastroenterology and pulmonology specialties.

Points: 7; High-ranking specialties: 6

An exterior image of Indiana University Health and the hospital's people mover is shown in the image.

15. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

This teaching hospital contains 772 beds and is ranked nationally in 13 adult specialties, including its No. 8 spot on U.S. News list of ear, nose and throat departments.

Points: 8; High-ranking specialties: 7

An exterior view of the front entrance of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is shown in the image.

14. Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York

Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, N.Y. is ranked nationally in 11 adult and six pediatric specialties. This 1,029-bed medical and surgical facility in New York City had nearly 92,500 surgical visits last year. Its geriatrics specialty is ranked No. 2 in the country on U.S. News' rankings. The hospital is one of three New York City medical institutions to make the annual Honor Roll.

Points: 9; High-ranking specialties: 6

An aerial view of Mount Sinai Medical Center is shown in the image.

13. UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco

Ranked by U.S. News as the No. 3 hospital in the state of California, UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco ranked nationally in 11 adult and nine pediatric specialties. The 660-bed medical center holds the No. 9 spots on U.S. News' specialty rankings for its diabetes and endocrinology and rheumatology departments.

Points: 9; High-ranking specialties: 7

An aerial view of UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco is shown in the image.

In this image, brain surgery is performed on a patient at UCSF. Neurology and Neurosurgery was the hospital's highest ranked specialty on U.S. News Honor Roll.

12. Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago

Joining the Honor Roll this year, the 854-bed facility at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Ill. is ranked nationally in 12 adult specialties. The hospital's neurology and neurosurgery program ranks No. 11 in the country, according to U.S. News.

Points: 10; High-ranking specialties: 10

This image shows Cera Fearing (right), her brother Ray (center) and Erwin Gomez, three patients involved in an unusual kidney re-transplant, after they met for the first time at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. After a kidney donated from Ray's sister didn't take, doctors at Northwestern removed it last summer and transplanted it into Gomez, the first time a living patient has donated a transplanted organ.

11. NYU Langone Medical Center, New York

Also new to this year's Honor Roll, is NYU Langone Medical Center. The medical facility is ranked nationally in 12 adult specialties. Its meurology and meurosurgery specialty is ranked No. 11 nationally by U.S. News and the hospitals' diabetes and endocrinology specialty is ranked No. 12 in the U.S. NYU Langone Medical Center is a 786-bed general medical and surgical facility.

An exterior view of NYU Langone Medical Center is shown in the image.

Points: 11; High-ranking specialties: 8

10. UPMC- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh is ranked nationally in 14 adult specialties. With 1,567 beds, this medical and surgical hospital had 109,547 visits last year. The hospital's ear, nose and throat department ranks third in the country, and its gastroenterology specialty is considered fifth-best in the nation by U.S. News.

Points: 16; High-ranking specialties: 11

In this image, UPMC doctors are working in the hospital's Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.

9. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston

Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass. is ranked nationally in 13 adult specialties. The 777-bed hospital gained recent attention for performing face transplant surgeries on Dallas Wiens, Wayne Hunter and Charla Nash. Its gynecology program is No. 2 in the country according to U.S. News, and the hospital's cancer and rheumatology programs each rank fifth in their respective fields.

Points: 17; High-ranking specialties: 10

In this image, Dr. Edward J. Caterson (left) and Dr. Dzifa Kpodzo (right) both of Brigham and Women's Hospital Plastic Surgery, perform surgery with other members of the face transplant surgical team.

8. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.

Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. is ranked nationally in 13 adult and 10 pediatric specialties. The 812-bed hospital's pulmonology department ranks fifth in the country, and its ophthalmology, urology, geriatrics, cardiology, gynecology and orthopedics divisions rank in the top 10 in their respective fields.

Points: 17; High-ranking specialties: 11

This image shows the interior of Duke Children's Health Center.

7. New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, N.Y.

The top hospital in New York City, New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell is ranked nationally in 14 adult and nine pediatric specialties. The hospital's emergency room had 230,474 visits last year. New York Presbyterian's nephrology program ranks third in the country, and its neurology and neurosurgery and cardiology and heart surgery specialties each rank fourth.

Points: 18; High-ranking specialties: 11

An exterior view of New York-Presbyterian University Hospital at Cornell is shown in the image.

6. Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis

Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University in Saint Louis, Mo., is ranked nationally in 15 adult specialties. The 1,270-bed hospital has top 10 programs in cancer, gynecology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, urology, nephrology and ear, nose and throat specialties.

Points: 20; High-ranking specialties: 12

An exterior view of Barnes-Jewish Hospital is shown in the image.

5. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles is ranked nationally in 14 adult and eight pediatric specialties. The 456-bed hospital ranks top five for its nephrology, ophthalmology, urology and geriatrics specialties, with its geriatrics program recognized as third best in the country.

Points: 20; High-ranking specialties: 13

This image shows 26-year-old hand transplant recipient during an occupational therapy session at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. She was the first person in the Western U.S. to undergo a hand transplant. Her right hand is the transplant.

4. Cleveland Clinic

The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio is ranked nationally in 14 adult and 10 pediatric specialties, scoring high in patient safety and demonstrating a commitment to reducing accidents and medical mistakes. The 1,239-bed hospital has the No. 1 specialties in the country for cardiology and heart surgery, urology and nephrology.

Points: 27; High-ranking specialties: 14

More from U.S. News: Best Hospitals 2012-13: How they were ranked

In this image, Dr. Jihad Kaouk, director of the Center for Robotic and Image Guided Surgery in Cleveland Clinic's Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute - which is ranked No. 1 in both urology and nephrology by US News - performs a single port surgery, along with his fellow, Dr. Raj Goel.

3. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Mayo Clinic is a 1,132-bed general medical and surgical facility that is ranked nationally in 16 adult and 10 pediatric specialties. The hospital's diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and gynecology departments are considered the best in the country by U.S. News.

Points 28; High-ranking specialties: 15

An exterior view of the Mayo Clinic hospital is shown in the image.

2. Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore

The 913 bed-hospital, Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, is ranked nationally in 16 adult and 10 pediatric specialties. The hospital's neurology and neurosurgery program is ranked No. 1 in the country, so too are its rheumatology, psychiatry, geriatrics and ear, nose and throat specialties. Johns Hopkins has held the No. 1 spot for 21 years on U.S. News' annual ranking since its 1991 Honor Roll. But coming in for the first time at no.1 for 2012-2013's Best Hospitals is...

Points: 30; High-ranking specialties: 15

In this image, a kidney is sewn into a recipient patient during a kidney transplant at Johns Hopkins Hospital on June 26, 2012, in Baltimore, Md.

1. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston

Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston is ranked nationally in 16 adult and four pediatric specialties. The is a 907-bed teaching hospital has top rankings for several specialties, including diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, cardiology and heart surgery, ear, nose and throat, ophthalmology, psychiatry and rehabilitation.

Points 30; High-ranking specialties: 16

Click here to see U.S. News' complete hospital rankings by specialty.

An exterior image of the river-view of Massachusetts General Hospital is shown in the image.