UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Excel in Pediatric Specialties

Leaders in the Bay Area in 5 Practices, According to U.S. News & World Report

By Suzanne Leigh

An exterior sign of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital is shown at the Mission Bay location
The exterior of the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco in Mission Bay. Photo by Elisabeth Fall

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals have placed among the nation’s premier children’s hospitals in all 10 pediatric specialties.

The hospitals ranked among the top 25 in eight of the 10 specialties and were best in the Bay Area in five practices – cancer, diabetes and endocrinology, neonatology, neurology and neurosurgery, and urology – according to U.S. News & World Report, which released the results of its best pediatric hospitals on June 21, 2016.

The 2016-17 results mark the 10th year of publication of the pediatric rankings, which serve as a guide to hospitals that lead in treating the sickest children.

“We are delighted that once again UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals are among those highly acclaimed hospitals listed by U.S. News,” said Mark Laret, chief executive officer of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. “Our physicians, nurses, other patient care workers – all of us – take the care of the children and families we serve very seriously. They drive our aspirations for excellence in care and research in the pediatric field.”

Saleh Adi talks with UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco patient Kendall Layous and her mother, Shonda.
Pediatric endocrinologist Saleh Adi (left), MD, thanks UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco patient Kendall Layous – being held by her mother, Shonda – for the card she made him. Photo by Susan Merrell
Dr. Wolfgang Stehr walking a young patient down the hall
Wolfgang Stehr, MD, a pediatric surgeon at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, walks a young patient down the hall. Image courtesy of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals include campuses in San Francisco and in Oakland. The two hospitals affiliated in January 2014.

"The outstanding patient care and treatments at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals are supported by the hospitals’ world-class research and the education of residents,” said Bert Lubin, MD, chief executive officer of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and a pediatrician. “Our rankings demonstrate the value of the services we provide to all children in our community, as well as nationally and globally.”

The rankings are based on clinical data from 183 pediatric centers and on the opinions of nearly 11,000 surveyed pediatric specialists and subspecialists. Among the factors taken into consideration are clinical outcomes, efficiency and co-ordination of care delivery, infection control, compliance with best practices, and resources including number of nurses and availability of programs for certain conditions. Among the hospitals evaluated, 78 were ranked in at least one specialty.

The rankings highlight U.S. News’s top 50 U.S. pediatric facilities in cancer, cardiology & heart surgery, diabetes & endocrinology, gastroenterology & GI surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology & neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology.

The complete rankings for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals for 2016-17 are:

  • #10 Pediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology (Best in Bay Area)
  • #15 Pediatric Urology (Best in Bay Area)
  • #16 Pediatric Cancer (Best in Bay Area)
  • #16 Pediatric Nephrology
  • #17 Pediatric Neonatology (Best in Bay Area)
  • #18 Pediatric Gastroenterology & GI surgery
  • #21 Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery (Best in Bay Area)
  • #25 Pediatric Pulmonology
  • #38 Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery
  • #47 Pediatric Orthopedics

The complete list of children’s hospital rankings is available online and will be published in the Best Hospitals print guide.

U.S. News will publish its best adult hospital rankings on Aug. 2, 2016.

About UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals are among the nation’s finest pediatric medical centers, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings. Their expertise covers virtually all pediatric conditions, including cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, pulmonology, diabetes and endocrinology, as well as the care of critically ill newborns.

The nonprofit UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals are committed to providing outstanding care to children in the Bay Area, California and beyond. They are known nationally and internationally for basic and clinical research, and are at the forefront of translating research into interventions for treating and preventing diseases. The San Francisco campus is part of UC San Francisco, whose schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Nursing lead the nation in research grants from the National Institutes of Health. The Oakland campus has a highly regarded pediatric residency program and is one of only five ACS Pediatric level I trauma centers in California.