WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida hospitals are featured prominently in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-2027 Best Hospitals rankings, with 32 medical centers receiving regional recognition and several earning national specialty rankings.
The state’s strongest regional showing came in Southern Florida, where 15 of 108 evaluated hospitals were recognized. Central Florida had 11 ranked hospitals out of 82, Northern Florida had six out of 34, and none of the 27 hospitals evaluated in the Florida Panhandle received a regional ranking.
The regional rankings are separate from U.S. News’ national specialty rankings, which compare hospitals in individual fields such as cancer, ophthalmology, neurology and cardiology.
Among the most notable national results, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at UHealth–University of Miami Health System remained the country’s No. 1 hospital for ophthalmology for the 25th consecutive year.
UHealth had five adult specialties ranked nationally:
Ophthalmology, No. 1Neurology and Neurosurgery, No. 14Geriatrics, No. 19Cancer, No. 23 Cardiology and Heart Surgery, No. 49
Its Neurology and Neurosurgery program climbed from No. 23 last year to No. 14, reaching the national top 15 for the first time.
See also; Abandoned SpaceX rocket slams into moon at 5,400 mph, carving new crater
Cleveland Clinic Weston also had five nationally ranked specialties, according to the Florida regional report. Mount Sinai Medical Center had two, while Baptist Health Baptist Hospital, Baptist Health Doctors Hospital and Jackson Health System-Miami each had one nationally ranked specialty.
Florida’s top cancer programs
U.S. News introduced statewide rankings this year for cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, and orthopedics.
In cancer care, UHealth Tower ranked No. 1 in Florida, followed by H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa at No. 2. UF Health Shands Hospital ranked third, Mayo Clinic Florida ranked fourth and AdventHealth Orlando ranked fifth.
The cancer report also illustrates the difference between a hospital’s overall state ranking and its specialty ranking.
Mayo Clinic Florida was ranked the No. 1 hospital overall in the state among those listed in the cancer report, but fourth specifically for cancer. AdventHealth Orlando was second overall and fifth for cancer, while UHealth Tower was fifth overall but first in the cancer specialty.
In the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, Cleveland Clinic Weston ranked first among hospitals overall. UHealth Tower ranked second overall but first in the metro area for cancer, while Baptist Health Baptist Hospital ranked third overall and second for cancer.
The results show Florida hospitals competing at several levels: for overall regional recognition, for statewide leadership in particular specialties and for placement among the nation’s top programs.