Johns Hopkins Hospital leads the list of outstanding hospitals in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. The Mayo Clinic, UCLA, and Cleveland Clinic follow in the report card based on mortality rates, reputation, patient safety and other factors.

In addition to an all-round champion, the publication ranks institutions by individual medical specialty. For instance, M.D. Anderson and Memorial Sloan Kettering are tops for cancer care; the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic for heart treatment; and Mayo and Hopkins for neurology and neurosurgery, to name a few.

U.S. News also teams with the AHA on a directory containing important information on more than 5,000 hospitals nationwide.

Go to the web site (below) to look up an institution of interest, a medical specialty, a health or disease area, or categorization of other facilities like nursing homes or health plans. As previously reported in DOTmed News, children's hospitals are ranked separately. (And don't miss the August cover story on how technology is transforming medical care.)

http://health.usnews.com/health/best-hospitals