CHOP is US's best children's hospital

Baltimore's John Hopkins may have the best overall hospital in the country according got US News and World Reports, but when it comes to kids, Philly has it beat.

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia received the best ratings for the magazine's general pediatrics category. Children's Hospital Boston and Cincinnati Children's Hospital rounded out the top three. John Hopkins's Children's Center was fourth.

The ranking were based on a variety of criteria, from the presence of a trauma center and palliative care to the number of fellowships and cardiovascular services. Daily in-patient volume was also a factor -- Texas Children's Hospital (#6) sees almost 400 patients a day, compared to Massachusetts General Hospital for Children (#21), which sees under 80.

Besides general pediatrics, the magazine looked at six other specialties for best specialized care. CHOP remained at the #1 spot for cancer, neonatal care, and respiratory disorders. Children's Hospital Boston was rated best for digestive disorders, and for heart and heart surgery. Johns Hopkins was rated best for neurology and neurosurgery.

Overall, the top five hospitals on the honor roll were John Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, the Cleveland Clinic, and Massachusetts General Hospital. Over 5,400 hospitals and medical centers were considered, with only 170 receiving a top-30 ranking in a specific category.

The rankings for the top thirty children's hospitals for general pedaitrics are below.

1. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (100.0)
2. Children's Hospital Boston (94.0)
3. Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (67.5)
4. Johns Hopkins Children's Center, Baltimore (60.8)
5. Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland (60.2)
6. Texas Children's Hospital, Houston (57.9)
7. Children's Hospital, Denver (52.6)
8 .Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle (51.8)
9. Children's Hospital Los Angeles (50.0)
10. Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC (49.3)
11. New York-Presbyterian Medical Center (48.7)
12. Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, Palo Alto, Calif. (48.2)
13. Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C. (46.8)
14. Children's Hospital Cleveland Clinic (46.7)
15. Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio (45.1)
16. Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, Los Angeles (44.3)
17. St. Louis Children's Hospital (44.3)
18. Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago (44.0)
19. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (41.9)
20. UCSF Children's Hospital, San Francisco (41.6)
21. Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston (40.1)
22. Primary Children's Medical Center, Salt Lake City (39.8)
23. Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville (39.4)
24. Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock (39.3)
25. Children's Medical Center Dallas (39.2)
26. C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Ann Arbor (39.2)
27. Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center, Durham, N.C. (38.0)
28. Children's Hospital at Montefiore, New York (37.9)
29. Schneider Children's Hospital, North Shore-LIJ Health System, New Hyde Park, N.Y. (37.9)
30. Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (37.7)