UT Southwestern Medical Center is the No. 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth for the eighth consecutive year and ranks among the nation’s top hospitals for care in 11 specialties – the most of any hospital in Texas, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Hospitals list released Monday.
Six specialties are ranked in the top 25: cancer; cardiology, heart, and vascular surgery; diabetes and endocrinology; neurology and neurosurgery; pulmonology and lung surgery; and rehabilitation. In addition, UT Southwestern is rated “High Performing” in 19 out of 20 procedures and conditions, from aortic valve surgery and hip replacement to back surgery (spinal fusion) and stroke care.
“Our collaborative multidisciplinary approach to patient care, as in our overall mission to educate, discover, and heal, continues to drive innovation at UT Southwestern and produce exceptional outcomes for the patients and families we are privileged to serve,” said Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D., President of UT Southwestern. “In parallel with ensuring that our patients have access to the most advanced technologies and treatments, we remain hyperfocused on providing the best care experience for them and their families. In the search for an even better tomorrow, our campus community is committed to translating scientific discoveries into improved treatments not only for our patients but also for patients worldwide.”
Among the 4,500 hospitals reviewed by U.S. News, UT Southwestern is ranked among the top 50 nationwide in the following 11 specialties – the most of any hospital in Texas:
- 15: Diabetes & Endocrinology
- 15: Rehabilitation
- 17: Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
- 19 (tie): Neurology & Neurosurgery
- 21 (tie): Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery
- 25: Cancer
- 26: Otolaryngology – Ear, Nose & Throat
- 27: Geriatrics
- 30: Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
- 33 (tie): Urology
- 49: Orthopaedics
UT Southwestern, ranked No. 2 among all hospitals in Texas, also earned “High Performing” designations for 19 of the 20 procedures and conditions included in the U.S. News rankings: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; aortic valve surgery; back surgery (spinal fusion); chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); colon cancer surgery; diabetes; gynecological cancer surgery; heart attack; heart bypass surgery; heart failure; hip fracture; hip replacement; kidney failure; leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma; lung cancer surgery; pneumonia; prostate cancer surgery; stroke; and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
The Southwestern Health Resources network – which aligns the strengths of UT Southwestern with those of Texas Health Resources – has five of the 10 top-ranked hospitals in Dallas-Fort Worth. In addition to UT Southwestern at No. 1, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas ranked No. 4, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth ranked No. 5, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth tied for No. 6, and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano tied for No. 8. The patient-centered, clinically integrated network of 31 hospital locations and more than 7,000 physicians and other providers cares for more than 750,000 individuals across 16 counties in North Texas. Children’s Medical Center Dallas, where the UT Southwestern Pediatric Group practices, was rated among the nation’s best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News for 2023-24 and was the only pediatric hospital in North Texas ranked in all 10 specialties. (This year’s pediatric rankings will be released in the fall.)
Growing to meet today’s needs and those of the future
UT Southwestern continues to expand to meet the health care needs of patients now and for decades to come. Earlier this year, UT Southwestern and Children’s Health announced plans for a transformative $5 billion pediatric campus in Dallas’ Southwestern Medical District across from William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital and connected by bridge. The approximately 2 million-square-foot hospital will have two 12-story towers and one eight-story tower to replace the existing Children’s Medical Center Dallas, significantly expanding inpatient, surgical, and ambulatory capacity to meet the needs of one of the country’s fastest-growing and largest metropolitan areas.
On the other end of the UTSW campus, construction of the state’s newest psychiatric hospital is well underway. The Texas Behavioral Health Center at UT Southwestern is a collaborative project of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, UT Southwestern, and Children’s Health. The adult portion of the facility is slated to open in late 2025, with a pediatric wing to follow in 2026.
In 2023, UT Southwestern opened a regional medical center in Coppell, broadening its reach to seven satellite locations in DFW, including Frisco, Fort Worth, and Richardson/Plano.
In 2022, UT Southwestern opened a 12-story Cancer Care Outpatient Building to serve patients of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center and also opened UT Southwestern Medical Center at RedBird to improve access to care for those living and working in southwestern Dallas County.
Last fall, the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, the first new school at UT Southwestern in 50 years, started inaugural classes in the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) program and in the combined Doctor of Medicine/Master of Public Health (M.D./M.P.H.) program. A Ph.D. program will begin later this year. The school is training a new generation of leaders who can respond to emerging public health needs.
Other recent national distinctions
- Clements University Hospital was honored earlier this year with Press Ganey’s Pinnacle of Excellence Award and its Guardian of Excellence Award in the patient satisfaction category.
- UT Southwestern Medical School was ranked No. 24 nationally among the best medical schools for research and No. 26 for best medical school for primary care (tie), by U.S. News. The UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Health Professions also have nationally rated programs.
- UT Southwestern is ranked No. 3 among global health care institutions in the 2023 Nature Index for its published research.
