The Top 5 Teaching Hospitals on the Great Plains in 2021

Only 175 hospitals in the United States attained a national rating in one or more of the 15 adult specialties studied in the most recent (21-22) U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) rankings of American hospitals.  Five Great Plains area teaching hospitals were among those hospitals that earned national recognition in at least two adult specialties.  The foremost teaching hospital in the region, Mayo Clinic, was deemed the best hospital in the nation by the USNWR study, while another Great Plains region teaching hospital, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, was rated a top 20 hospital nationally.  While the Great Plains region is home to multiple teaching hospitals, these five institutions earned the most recognition in the USNWR survey.

The Top 5 Teaching Hospitals on the Great Plains in 2021

Mayo Clinic

Location:  Rochester, MN
Top 20 Overall Ranking Nationally:  Yes (1st)

Nationally Ranked Adult Specialties:  14 of 15
Adult Specialties Ranked in Top 20 Nationally:  14

#1 in Diabetes & Endocrinology
#1 in Gastroenterology & GI Surgery

#1 in Gynecology
#1 in Pulmonology & Lung Surgery

#1 in Urology

#2 in Cardiology & Heart Surgery

#2 in Orthopedics

#3 in Cancer

#3 in Geriatrics

#3 in Rheumatology
#4 in Ear, Nose and Throat

#6 in Neurology & Neurosurgery
#6 in Rehabilitation
#9 in Psychiatry

Barnes-Jewish Hospital

Location:  St. Louis
Top 20 Overall Ranking Nationally:  Yes (17th)

Nationally Ranked Adult Specialties:  11 of 15
Adult Specialties Ranked in Top 20 Nationally:  7
#7 in Diabetes & Endocrinology

#13 in Cancer
#14 in Gynecology

#17 in Neurology & Neurosurgery

#19 in Geriatrics
#20 in Ear, Nose and Throat

#20 in Gastroenterology & GI Surgery

University of Kansas Hospital

Location:  Kansas City, KS
Top 20 Overall Ranking Nationally:  No

Nationally Ranked Adult Specialties:  7 of 15
Adult Specialties Ranked in Top 20 Nationally:  1
#17 in Ear, Nose and Throat

University of Iowa Hospital

Location:  Iowa City
Top 20 Overall Ranking Nationally:  No

Nationally Ranked Adult Specialties:  4 of 15
Adult Specialties Ranked in Top 20 Nationally:  1
#7 in Ophthalmology

Abbott Northwestern Hospital

Location:  Minneapolis, MN
Top 20 Overall Ranking Nationally:  No

Nationally Ranked Adult Specialties:  2 of 15
Adult Specialties Ranked in Top 20 Nationally:  None

To find other teaching hospitals in the Plains Region and elsewhere, visit our U.S. Teaching Hospitals resource page.