In health care, like in many things, quality is important. Whether it’s the education of the physicians, the competency of the specialists, or the compassion of the nurses, every detail can make the difference in patient outcomes. While the work of all health care workers is greatly appreciated, there are some facilities which on the whole, can be rated above others in terms of being of the finest caliber. Here, we take a look at the top 15 hospitals in the world, taking into account specialization quality, patient outcomes, research, and care philosophy. 15. Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan Starting off our list of the top hospitals in the world is the Taipei Veterans General Hospital, located in Taipei City. Founded in 1958 and funded as well as run by the Veteran’s Administration of Taipei, this 3,000 bed facility as well as two sister facilities are used as teaching hospitals and provide state of the art health care to their patients. With consistently high care quality and a remarkably good prognostic track record, this hospital can also claim the first use of the Gamma Knife treatment and first Neurological department within the country, as well as their infectious disease department being the first to isolate the HIV/AIDS virus in Asia. 14. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center , United States One of the most active private research and teaching hospitals in the United States, Beth Israel Medical Center receives around $200 Million each year for over 800 projects. With 631 beds and one of the best burn and trauma units in the country, this hospital is used by Harvard as a training ground for some of the hardest rotations that prospective doctors go through. Among their prevalent research topics are those related to diabetes and the development of cutting edge reconstructive methods. Previously, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center had been pioneers in electrophysiology, with one of their staff, Paul Zoll, being a major contributor to both the pace maker and defibrillator. 13. Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Taiwan Bringing forth “Humanistic Medicine With a Reverence For Life” , Tzu Chi General Hospital is the highest rated hospital in all of Asia. With highly regarded Stem Cell therapy research, as well as a top notch neurological department, this hospital takes on some of the most complex cases on the continent. Unique to the practice of medicine in Tzu Chi is the amount of focus put on removing pain from illness, which is seen as the worst sort of suffering. True to their principles, this facility often takes in poor patients without need for pay, and runs primarily through grants. 12. Deer’s Head Hospital Center, United States The only specifically long term/ geriatric care facility on this list, Deer’s Head Hospital Center is located in Salisbury, Maryland. Touting interdisciplinary approaches to chronic conditions, and in particular renal treatment, Deer’s Head has one of the best quality of life and long term care ratings for their facility type. The associated nursing home facility has been rated by multiple agencies as one of the best maintained and compassionate environments for taking care of the elderly. 11. Providence Health and Services, United States Based out of Renton, Washington, Providence Health and Services currently is a health clinic and hospital system that spans over 5 states, primarily covering the pacific coastline. The ultimate in comprehensive community care, Providence has annually provided over $200 million in free or discounted care amongst the communities it treats, making it one of the biggest health charities world wide. With over 250 total locations, it’s hard to throw a stone in any of the states where Providence is present without hitting an associated facility. 10. New York Presbyterian, Lower Manhattan Hospital, United States Originally designed to be a hospital for poor women and children, New York Presbyterian now sees up to 100,000 patients a year, ranging from chronic conditions to acute care cases. This hospital, while caring for the local population at an exceptional level, is also one of the most highly trained facilities in terms of emergency preparedness and disaster management, no doubt due to the September 11th attacks which occurred more or less next door. Another feature born from that day is a new decontamination unit which is among the largest in the world and designed after Zedek Medical Center’s decontamination unit in Jerusalem, Israel. 9. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, United States Located in Manhattan, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is often considered if not the best, the second best cancer center on the planet. This is somewhat ironic as among the first directors of care for the center was Cornelius Rhoads, a former director of the United States Chemical Weapons Program, whose weapons often were carcinogenic alongside being acutely lethal. Besides pure oncological care, MSKCC also partners with Cornell’s University and Medical Colleges to perform research with computational biology, as a means of modeling biological molecules and their interactions for a better understanding, and eventually, better treatment options. 8. Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, France With 52 seperate medical departments in over 44 facilities, to say that the Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris is huge is quite the understatement. With over 5 million annual patients coming into its doors, this hospital gives the students of the seven associated medical colleges plenty of experience, and in turn give the community reliable medical care for both this and future generations. Among the facilities is the Hôtel-Dieu de Paris, the oldest operating hospital in the world, being founded in the mid 7th century. 7. Massachusetts General Hospital, United States The partner of Harvard Medical School and one of the first facilities to promote the use of anesthetic during surgical procedures, Massachusetts General is located right in Boston. One of the most unique features of this hospital is that it has developed its own programming language, MUMPS, for patient file organization, creation and storage, being one of the first hospitals to adopt computers as a critical tool for patient care. Current research consists mostly of immunological research, namely creating vaccines and finding methods to treat and prevent AIDS. Among the previous staff at Massachusetts General are eleven Noble Prize laureates. 6. MD Anderson Cancer Center, United States Partnered with Texas A&M, Baylor Medical School, and the University of Texas, MD Anderson is as big as the whole of the lone star state when it comes to brainpower. Currently ranked as #1 as a dedicated Oncolgy center, cancer research and treatment alternatives are at the forefront of this organization. Besides having top notch physicians, MD Anderson also has a reputation for having some of the most highly trained nursing staff in the world, all of which carrying heavily specialization in cancer care. 5. University of Maryland Medical Center, United States With over 1,000 physicians who not only work, but teach within the medical center, UMMC is a massive teaching institute, and one of the world’s largest Level I Trauma Centers. With one of the top acute care and the first ever Shock Trauma Center, this facility provides training to practitioners world wide in care and treatment for injuries resulting from transportation accidents and violence. UMMC also has one of the largest kidney transplant programs in the world, allowing for a specialization in Nephrology and associated surgeries that few other facilities could compare with. Most research done at this medical center do focus around transplantation, the most complex of which was a protocol developed for simultaneous heart and liver transplantation. 4.Mayo Clinic, Rochester and Scottsdale Campuses, United States With top rankings in such specialties as Nephrology, Endocrinology and Gynecology, the Mayo Clinic campuses have been rated #1 by such sources as US News and World Report. These medical facilities are also the only ones within the United States to get a 5 star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which looks primarily at care standards and economic value of health care. With a staff of over 4,000 dedicated to medical research, primarily on disease processes and virology, Mayo is looking to the future of public health in terms of handling epidemics in a timely and efficient fashion. 3. John Hopkins Medical Center, United States John Hopkins’ Medical School and Hospital is one of the most well known facilities for medical expertise on the planet. Having been the origin of specialties such as neurosurgery and cardiac surgery, as well as the origin point of the modern medical education which includes internships and clinical rotations, John Hopkins had also been rated as the number one hospital in the world for over 20 years. In more recent years, the Hopkins Medical Center has also been the site of the first male-to-female sex reassignment surgery as well as a pioneer in restriction enyzme research, which gave way to such marvels as the CRISPR gene editing protocol and the entire field of genetic bioengineering. 2.St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, United States Based on a model where no family has to pay out of pocket costs for the care of their child, St. Judes is not only one of the best hospitals in the world, but also one that most wholly encompasses the concept of compassion. Given the running cost of about $1.8 Million per day, St. Jude relies on donations from individuals, organizations, and companies. Listed as one of the best teaching hospitals in the United States, St. Jude’s research department is second to none, and there is heavy investment into the future of pediatric sciences, including top tier training of medical students into physicians. St. Jude’s also carries affiliations with many hospitals worldwide, one of the most recent additions being the Children’s Cancer Center in Beirut, Lebanon. 1. The Cleveland Clinic, United States Topping off our list of the best hospitals in the world for 2016 is the Cleveland Clinic. The Cleveland Clinic turns out to be quite the Cinderella story, as only two years ago, it was ranked as among the worst in the nation for safety standards and just barely made it into the top 100 in standards of care. In fact, during 2014, Medicare had begun motions to terminate relations with this clinic, which would have cost the facility over one billion dollars. As of 2016, conditions have improved substantially and their world renowned Cardiology department has only gotten better with time and new technology. With 18 campuses, the Cleveland Clinic is one of the farthest flung, with locations across the United States, Canada, and even Abu Dhabi. Source
