Cardiac Surgeon Fred Chen, MD, PhD, listens to the heart of BWH patient Jim Slate, who is also staff nurse in the Cardiac Surgery ICU at BWH. Cardiology and Heart Surgery were among BWH specialties that ranked among the top 10 in this year’s U.S. News & World Report.

For the 21st consecutive year, Brigham and Women’s Hospital was chosen for the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll of America’s Best Hospitals. This year, BWH ranks ninth on the national survey for the second year in a row.

The Honor Roll highlights just 18 hospitals, out of nearly 5,000 nationwide, for their rare breadth and depth of clinical excellence.

“Our continuous presence on the Honor Roll of Best Hospitals is a testament to the dedication of each one of you to carrying out our precious mission,” said BWH President Betsy Nabel, MD.

In the grading of the best hospitals, BWH ranks among the top 10 in six categories: Cancer, Cardiology and Heart Surgery, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Gynecology, Nephrology and Rheumatology. BWH places in the top 20 in Geriatrics, Orthopedics, Pulmonology and Neurology and Neurosurgery.

BWH has advanced in six specialty rankings this year: Cardiology and Heart Surgery climbed from #9 to #5; Nephrology moved up one slot to #5; Geriatric Care progressed from #18 to #15; Orthopedics rose from #23 to #17; and Neurology and Neurosurgery moved up one slot to #19. Gynecology remains at #2, Rheumatology remains at #5 and the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center maintained its ranking from last year at #5.

BWH’s sister hospitals at Partners HealthCare also earned high honors. Mass. General ranks second on the Honor Roll, making Boston the only city in the country with two hospitals in the top 10. McLean Hospital ranked first in Psychiatry, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital placed sixth in Rehabilitation, the only rehabilitation hospital in New England to be named on the list.

U.S. News evaluates hospitals in 16 adult specialties. In most specialties, it ranks the nation’s top 50 hospitals and recognizes other high-performing hospitals that provide care at nearly the level of their nationally ranked peers. Just 147 hospitals—about 3 percent of those in the U.S.—earned a national ranking in one or more of the 16 specialties.

“While it’s wonderful to be recognized on such a prestigious list, what makes BWH a world-class institution can’t be found solely by analyzing our clinical data,” said Nabel. “It’s your compassion, talents and relentless drive to achieve even more for our patients, their families and each other—to discover a cure, to make care more personalized, to bring new services to our community and to teach all of this to the next generation.”