In the Annual Best Children’s Hospitals rankings, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) ranked #2 overall, #1 in pediatric cancer, #1 in pediatric orthopedics, #1 in pediatric diabetes and endocrinology, #2 in pediatric pulmonology and lung surgery, #3 in pediatric urology, #3 in pediatric gastroenterology and GI surgery, #4 in pediatric neurology and neurosurgery, #5 in neonatology, #6 in pediatric nephrology and #7 in pediatric cardiology and heart surgery. 

The 2020-2021 rankings were created from data collected through a clinical survey sent to nearly 200 hospitals and a survey sent to thousands of pediatricians nationwide. RTI International, a North Carolina-based research and consulting firm that also generates the Best Hospitals rankings, administered both surveys and analyzed the results. More than 100 pediatric medical experts provided input on what information to collect and how to analyze the data. The clinical data used in the rankings reflect a period of time that ended before the coronavirus outbreak became a pandemic. The top 50 medical centers are ranked in 10 specialties.

Whether and how high a hospital was ranked depended on how well it performed in clinical outcomes, efficient coordination of care, and providing care-related resources. Results from the survey of pediatric specialists contributed up to 15% of a hospital’s score, depending on specialty. Doctors were asked to name up to 10 hospitals they consider best in their specialty for children with serious or difficult medical problems. Their responses were combined with those from similar surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019.