Brigham & Women's Hospital, our Trusted Link for July 2022

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital is an academic medical center and teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Its member hospitals provide nearly 1,000 patient beds, and it employs almost 5,000 scientists. U.S. News ranks it #14 among Best Hospitals and #2 in its region. In specialties, it's #1 in the nation for Obstetrics & Gynecology, #4 in Cancer, #5 in Rheumatology, and #10 in Cardiology & Heart Surgery.  In 1980, Brigham and Women's was created by the merger of three hospitals: Boston Women's Hospital, Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, and the Robert Breck Brigham Hospital for arthritis and joint diseases. In 1998, they were joined by The Faulkner, a Boston community hospital.  Core service lines Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center Shapiro Cardiovascular Center Orthopedic and Arthritis Center Neurosciences Center Connors Center for Women's Health Osher Center for Integrative Medicine including chiropractic care Milestones 1832: Boston Lying-in Hospital, one of 1st maternity hospitals in U.S., opens 1875: Free Hospital for Women founded, including Boston's 1st cancer ward 1913: Peter Bent Brigham Hospital founded 1914: Robert Breck Brigham Hospital for arthritis and joint diseases founded by the nephew of Peter Bent Brigham Breakthroughs at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital: 1923: World's 1st successful heart valve surgery 1949: Blood transfusion system developed 1954:  World's 1st successful kidney transplant 1962: DC electric current used to restore heart rhythm 1966: Boston Lying-in Hospital and Free Hospital for Women merge to form the Boston Hospital for Women 1990: Nobel Prize awarded to Brigham and Women's Dr. Joseph Murray for pioneering work in organ transplants 2004: Nation's 1st Electronic Medication Administration System 2005: Biomedical Research Institute (BRI) established.  2013: Brigham Digital Innovation Hub founded.  Publications Brigham Health Hub includes numerous health guides, such as Managing Knee Pain and Avoiding Sports Injuries.  Brigham Clinical & Research News  Research Briefs For employees: Brigham Bulletin, Faulkner News, and Heart & Science (nursing) Social Media Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn

Deland Fellowship fostering healthcare leaders

Cancer accounted for 602,350 deaths in the United States in 2020. Relative to the size of the U.S. population, that translated to a cancer death rate of 182.8 deaths per 100,000 population, making cancer the second leading cause of death in the U.S., surpassed only by heart disease. Analysis of data from the National Center for Health Statistics, a unit of the CDC, provides the following details about regional cancer death rates in the U.S.  Follow the "region" links in the table below to see state-level data within each region:

Regional Cancer Death Rates in the U.S.

Region	Deaths	Population	Death Rate*
Far West	89,869	56,579,620	158.8
Great Lakes	95,354	46,834,910	203.6
Great Plains	41,272	21,481,834	192.1
Mid-Eastern	90,410	48,757,828	185.4
New England	28,748	14,847,468	193.6
Rocky Mountain	17,883	12,547,416	142.5
Southeastern	171,979	85,565,785	201.0
Southwestern	66,835	42,869,262	155.9
U.S.	602,350	329,484,123	182.8

(*) number of cancer deaths per 100,000 population

Report Period: 2020

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2020 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2021. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2020, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program.

There were 696,962 deaths in the United States in 2020 that were attributable to heart disease. Given the size of the U.S. population, that translated to a heart disease death rate of 211.5 deaths per 100,000 population. Analysis of data from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics provides the following details about regional heart disease death rates in the U.S.  Follow the "region" links in the table below to see state-level data within each region:

Regional Heart Disease Death Rates in the U.S.

Region	Deaths	Population	Death Rate*
Far West	96,816	56,579,620	171.1
Great Lakes	112,944	46,834,910	241.2
Great Plains	45,060	21,481,834	209.8
Mid-Eastern	117,371	48,757,828	240.7
New England	28,580	14,847,468	192.5
Rocky Mountain	19,063	12,547,416	151.9
Southeastern	196,674	85,565,785	229.9
Southwestern	80,454	42,869,262	187.7
U.S.	696,962	329,484,123	211.5

(*) number of heart disease deaths per 100,000 population

Report Period: 2020

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2020 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2021. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2020, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program.

In the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings of American hospitals, 90 hospitals earned national recognition in at least one of ten pediatric specialties studied in the survey.  Although only three Rocky Mountain region hospitals earned top 50 distinction in at least one pediatric specialty, one of those three hospitals ranked among the top 10 children's hospitals in the nation.  Moreover, a second Rocky Mountain region hospital earned top 50 national recognition in eight pediatric specialties. For earning national recognition in more than five pediatric specialty areas, here's a summary look at the two hospitals that stand out as the best pediatric hospitals in the Rocky Mountain region:

Best Pediatric Hospitals in the Rocky Mountain Region

Children's Hospital Colorado
Location:  Aurora, CO
Top 10 National Ranking Overall?  YES (#7)
Top 50 Pediatric Specialty Rankings:  10 of 10
#8      Cancer
#14    Cardiology & Heart Surgery
#4      Diabetes & Endocrinology
#4      Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
#19    Neonatology
#22    Nephrology
#12    Neurology & Neurosurgery
#12    Orthopedics
#6      Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
#7      Urology
see ranking details

Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital
Location:  Salt Lake City, UT
Top 10 National Ranking Overall?  NO
Top 50 Pediatric Specialty Rankings:  8 of 10
#39    Cancer
#38    Cardiology & Heart Surgery
#47    Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
#43    Neonatology
#40    Nephrology
#17    Neurology & Neurosurgery
#31    Orthopedics
#50    Urology
see ranking details

To find children's hospitals in other regions of the country, visit our U.S. Children's Hospitals resource page.

The six-state Far Western U.S. region cancer accounted for 89,869 deaths in 2020, a death toll that represented about 14.9% of the 602,350 cancer deaths that year in the United States as a whole.  At 158.8 deaths per 100,000 population, the 2020 cancer death rate in the Far Western U.S. was more than 13% lower than the national average.  In fact, every state in the region, except for Oregon, recorded a cancer death rate that was lower than the national average in 2020.  A closer review of state-level data from the National Center for Health Statistics provides the following details about cancer death rates in the Far Western U.S.:

Cancer Death Rates in the Far Western U.S.

State	Deaths	Population	Death Rate*
Alaska	1,043	731,158	142.7
California	59,778	39,368,078	151.8
Hawaii	2,519	1,407,006	179.0
Nevada	5,450	3,138,259	173.7
Oregon	8,283	4,241,507	195.3
Washington	12,796	7,693,612	166.3
Region	89,869	56,579,620	158.8
U.S.	602,350	329,484,123	182.8

(*) number of cancer deaths per 100,000 population

Report Period: 2020

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2020 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2021. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2020, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on July 23, 2022

Optometrist Employment Snapshot for the Top 25 U.S. Metro Areas

Optometrist Employment Snapshot: Top 25 U.S. Metro Areas

	Metropolitan Area		# Employed	Mean Annual Wage
1	New York-Newark-Jersey City		1,530	$140,520
2	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim		2,820	$126,010
3	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin		1,390	$111,740
4	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington		780	$132,390
5	Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land		840	$114,340
6	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria		820	$140,020
7	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington		700	$156,650
8	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach		850	$98,900
9	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta		520	$131,440
10	Boston-Cambridge-Newton		550	$135,620
11	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler		760	$119,550
12	San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley		1,100	$135,310
13	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario		510	$134,100
14	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn		470	$124,540
15	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue		360	$124,460
16	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington		340	$137,830
17	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad		520	$118,490
18	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater		250	$108,360
19	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood		380	$133,340
20	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson		290	$125,920
21	St. Louis, MO-IL		480	$157,230
22	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford		250	$94,610
23	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia		240	$135,170
24	San Antonio-New Braunfels		360	$150,890
25	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro		290	$134,570
	National		38,720	$125,440

Report Period:  May 2021
Top 25 U.S. Metro areas from 2020 Census
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Occupational Statistics
Data extracted on July 23, 2022

Medical Transcriptionist Employment Snapshot for the Top 25 U.S. Metro Areas

Medical Transcriptionist Employment Snapshot: Top 25 U.S. Metro Areas

	Metropolitan Area		# Employed	Mean Annual Wage
1	New York-Newark-Jersey City		2,820	$36,130
2	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim		n/a	n/a
3	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin		1,680	$30,380
4	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington		1,730	$31,270
5	Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land		860	$32,140
6	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria		330	$41,600
7	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington		830	$38,180
8	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach		860	$35,020
9	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta		1,080	$28,200
10	Boston-Cambridge-Newton		330	$42,590
11	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler		1,050	$32,220
12	San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley		n/a	$48,350
13	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario		n/a	n/a
14	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn		710	$34,040
15	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue		350	$46,070
16	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington		340	$46,000
17	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad		640	$36,480
18	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater		920	$33,410
19	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood		310	$39,420
20	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson		150	$42,650
21	St. Louis, MO-IL		310	$35,050
22	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford		1,620	$28,130
23	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia		260	$28,880
24	San Antonio-New Braunfels		760	$25,710
25	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro		770	$38,290
	National		55,830	$34,220

Report Period:  May 2021
Top 25 U.S. Metro areas from 2020 Census
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Occupational Statistics
Data extracted on July 20, 2022

In the newest U.S. News & World Report rankings of American hospitals, 90 hospitals surveyed received national distinction in at least one of the ten pediatric specialties examined in the survey.  Two children's hospitals in the Great Lakes region ranked among the top 10 pediatric hospitals in the nation, while a total of fifteen pediatric hospitals in the region earned a top 50 ranking nationally in at least one of the ten specialties analyzed.  Among these Great Lakes region hospitals, nine earned top 50 national recognition in at least five pediatric specialties. For earning distinction nationally in at least five specialty areas, here's a summary look at the nine hospitals that stand out among the best pediatric hospitals in the Great Lakes region:

Best Pediatric Hospitals in the Great Lakes Region

Cincinnati Children's Hospital (#3 overall nationally)

Location: Cincinnati, OH

Nationally Ranked Pediatric Specialties: 10 of 10 
Pediatric Specialties Ranked in Top 50 Nationally:
#3   Cancer
#16 Cardiology & Heart Surgery
#3   Diabetes & Endocrinology
#1   Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
#6   Nephrology
#7   Neonatology
#6   Neurology & Neurosurgery
#5   Orthopedics
#2   Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
#4   Urology
see ranking details

Nationwide Children's Hospital (#9 overall nationally)

Location: Columbus, OH
Nationally Ranked Pediatric Specialties: 10 of 10 
Pediatric Specialties Ranked in Top 50 Nationally:
#11 Cancer
#15 Cardiology & Heart Surgery
#19 Diabetes & Endocrinology
#8   Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
#10 Nephrology
#10 Neonatology
#9   Neurology & Neurosurgery
#15 Orthopedics
#10 Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
#13 Urology

see ranking details

Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health

Location: Indianapolis, IN
Nationally Ranked Pediatric Specialties: 10 of 10 
Pediatric Specialties Ranked in Top 50 Nationally:
#24 Cancer
#6   Cardiology & Heart Surgery
#34 Diabetes & Endocrinology
#17 Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
#13 Nephrology
#15 Neonatology
#47 Neurology & Neurosurgery
#48 Orthopedics
#7   Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
#3   Urology

see ranking details

Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Location: Chicago
Nationally Ranked Pediatric Specialties: 9 of 10 
Pediatric Specialties Ranked in Top 50 Nationally:
#10 Cancer
#9   Cardiology & Heart Surgery
#17 Diabetes & Endocrinology
#31 Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
#14 Nephrology
#10 Neonatology
#27 Orthopedics
#19 Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
#6   Urology

see ranking details

Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital

Location: Cleveland
Nationally Ranked Pediatric Specialties: 9 of 10 
Pediatric Specialties Ranked in Top 50 Nationally:
#15 Cancer
#6   Cardiology & Heart Surgery
#36 Diabetes & Endocrinology
#13 Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
#29 Nephrology
#10 Neonatology
#40 Neurology & Neurosurgery
#30 Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
#24 Urology

see ranking details

Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital

Location: Cleveland
Nationally Ranked Pediatric Specialties: 9 of 10 
Pediatric Specialties Ranked in Top 50 Nationally:
#25 Cancer
#45 Cardiology & Heart Surgery
#15 Diabetes & Endocrinology
#37 Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
#36 Nephrology

#10 Neonatology
#17 Orthopedics
#17 Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
#39 Urology

see ranking details

Mott Children's Hospital | Michigan Medicine

Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Nationally Ranked Pediatric Specialties: 9 of 10 
Pediatric Specialties Ranked in Top 50 Nationally:
#12 Cancer
#10 Cardiology & Heart Surgery
#22 Diabetes & Endocrinology
#24 Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
#20 Nephrology
#49 Neurology & Neurosurgery
#34 Orthopedics
#26 Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
#24 Urology

see ranking details

Children's Wisconsin Hospital

Location: Milwaukee, WI
Nationally Ranked Pediatric Specialties: 8 of 10 
Pediatric Specialties Ranked in Top 50 Nationally:
#21 Cancer
#31 Cardiology & Heart Surgery
#45 Diabetes & Endocrinology
#18 Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
#43 Nephrology
#35 Neurology & Neurosurgery
#28 Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
#36 Urology

see ranking details

Children's Hospital of Michigan

Location: Detroit, MI
Nationally Ranked Pediatric Specialties: 6 of 10 
Pediatric Specialties Ranked in Top 50 Nationally:
#41 Cancer
#26 Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
#39 Nephrology
#26 Neurology & Neurosurgery
#36 Orthopedics
#42 Urology

see ranking details

To find other children's hospitals in the Great Lakes states and elsewhere, visit our U.S. Children's Hospitals resource page.

In 2020, the United States recorded 696,962 deaths that were attributable to heart disease, about 5.8% more such deaths than in the prior year.  Heart disease accounted for nearly 196,700 deaths in the twelve-state Southeastern U.S. in 2020.  With 229.9 deaths per 100,000 population, the Southeastern U.S. had a regional heart disease death rate that was 8.7% above the national average in 2020.  However, there was much disparity in the death rate from state to state, as half the states in the region had a heart disease rate in 2020 that was more than 20% higher than the national average.  A deeper examination of data from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics provides the following state-level details about heart disease death rates in the Southeastern U.S.:

Heart Disease Death Rates in the Southeastern U.S.

State	Deaths	Population	Death Rate*
Alabama	14,739	4,921,532	299.5
Arkansas	8,621	3,030,522	284.5
Florida	49,287	21,733,312	226.8
Georgia	21,116	10,710,017	197.2
Kentucky	11,345	4,477,251	253.4
Louisiana	12,255	4,645,318	263.8
Mississippi	8,809	2,966,786	296.9
North Carolina	20,373	10,600,823	192.2
South Carolina	11,385	5,218,040	218.2
Tennessee	17,943	6,886,834	260.5
Virginia	15,678	8,590,563	182.5
West Virginia	5,123	1,784,787	287.0
Region	196,674	85,565,785	229.9
U.S.	696,962	329,484,123	211.5

(*) number of heart disease deaths per 100,000 population

Report Period: 2020

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2020 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2021. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2020, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on July 16, 2022

MRI Technologist Employment Snapshot for the Top 25 U.S. Metro Areas

MRI Technologist Employment Snapshot: Top 25 U.S. Metro Areas

	Metropolitan Area		# Employed	Mean Annual Wage
1	New York-Newark-Jersey City		2,210	$93,150
2	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim		910	$102,620
3	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin		1,870	$80,350
4	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington		790	$83,450
5	Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land		840	$80,090
6	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria		890	$86,820
7	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington		840	$77,550
8	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach		910	$71,710
9	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta		900	$75,680
10	Boston-Cambridge-Newton		1,170	$87,860
11	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler		530	$82,300
12	San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley		330	$127,930
13	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario		210	$94,440
14	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn		700	$70,060
15	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue		310	$105,040
16	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington		500	$82,230
17	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad		210	$108,540
18	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater		580	$68,780
19	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood		310	$85,650
20	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson		500	$80,010
21	St. Louis, MO-IL		480	$71,010
22	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford		300	$68,290
23	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia		240	$74,680
24	San Antonio-New Braunfels		210	$76,110
25	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro		270	$94,360
	National		38,070	$77,820

Report Period:  May 2021
Top 25 U.S. Metro areas from 2020 Census
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Occupational Statistics
Data extracted on July 16, 2022