Seven UF Health specialties among nation’s best in U.S. News & World Report hospital rankings
Photo by Kyle Walker
High-performing procedures recognized across multiple regions
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida Health Shands Hospital is once again among the best in the nation, according to the 2025-26 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” report. Seven medical specialties are ranked among the country’s finest, with high-performing procedures and treated conditions recognized across the health system’s regional locations.
The specialties recognized by U.S. News are cancer (No. 39); geriatrics (No. 43); ear, nose and throat (No. 47); obstetrics and gynecology (No. 26); neurology and neurosurgery (No. 39); urology (No. 30); and pulmonology and lung surgery (No. 40), its 16th consecutive year ranked among the nation’s best.
Each year, U.S. News evaluates close to 6,000 hospitals, adhering to a rigorous eligibility process that considers factors like complexity of care, patient volume and the level of care a hospital can offer.
“Our ranked and high-performing specialties speak to the exceptional level of care our teams provide,” said Stephen J. Motew, M.D., M.H.A., president and system CEO of UF Health’s clinical enterprise.
“The goal is for patients to benefit not only from our expertise, but also from our dedication to a good outcome,” he said. “We prioritize strong, multidisciplinary teams that pursue excellence through innovation, respect, compassion and dedication to pursuing the highest standard of clinical care.”
The adult specialties of cardiology, heart and vascular surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, orthopaedics, and gastrointestinal and gastrointestinal surgery at UF Health Shands are also ranked in the top 10% nationally, classified as “high performing.”
UF Health Shands is also “high performing” in 19 adult procedures and treated conditions. Those are aortic valve surgery; spinal fusion; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD; colon cancer surgery; diabetes; gynecological cancer surgery; heart arrhythmia; heart attack; heart failure; hip fracture; hip replacement; kidney failure; knee replacement; leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma; lung cancer surgery; pneumonia; prostate cancer surgery; stroke; and transcatheter aortic valve replacement.
UF Health Jacksonville is recognized for eight “high performing” procedures and treated conditions: COPD, diabetes, heart arrythmia, heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, stroke and kidney failure.
Additionally, UF Health Leesburg Hospital is recognized for five “high performing” procedures and treated conditions: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, colon cancer surgery, heart bypass surgery, heart failure and pacemaker implementation.
U.S. News ranks hospitals using a wide array of data, measuring patient outcomes like the average time from admission to discharge, nurse staffing, patient experience and expert opinions, among other factors.
“I’m grateful to our incredibly hard-working clinicians and staff for always putting our patients first,” Motew said. “Our mission is to provide research-driven, evidence-based care to any patient who needs us.”