U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals" is widely considered the most authoritative hospital guide, screening over 5,189 hospitals and medical centers around the country.

The guide ranks 176 hospitals and medical centers in 16 specialties: cancer; digestive disorders; ear, nose, and throat; endocrinology; gynecology; heart and heart surgery; kidney disease; neurology and neurosurgery; ophthalmology; orthopedics; pediatrics; psychiatry; rehabilitation; respiratory disorders; rheumatology; and urology.

Last week (Friday), the 2006 edition of "America's Best Hospitals" was released:

1. Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore)
2. Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN)
3. Cleveland Clinic
4. Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston)
5. UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles)
6. New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell
7. Duke University Medical Center (Durham, NC)
8. Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University (St. Louis)
9. University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
10. University of Washington Medical Center, (Seattle)
11. Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston)
12. University of Michigan Hospitals and Health System (Ann arbor, MI)
13. Stanford Hospital and Clinics (Stanford, CA)
14. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

For the complete list, click here.

Source: PR Newswire