The Lown Institute released its 2026 ranking of the top academic medical centers in the nation Aug. 4, drawing from the broader 2026 Lown Hospitals Index published in June.
University Health in San Antonio topped the academic medical center list, ranking third overall on the full Lown Hospitals Index.
The academic medical center ranking pulls from the same dataset behind the full 2026 Lown Hospitals Index, which evaluated 2,718 acute care hospitals, 900 critical access hospitals and 331 health systems using publicly available data, including Medicare claims, CMS quality and cost datasets and IRS Form 990 filings, among other sources.
Overall, 215 academic medical centers were ranked nationally, and 95 earned an “A” grade. To qualify for the Honor Roll, organizations had to receive “A” grades in equity, value and outcomes.
Below are the top 25 AMCs on the list:
- University Health (San Antonio, Texas)
- Temple University Hospital – Main Campus (Philadelphia)
- St. Luke’s University Hospital – Bethlehem (Pa.) Campus
- The University of Kansas Hospital – Bell Hospital Tower (Kansas City)
- WakeMed Raleigh (N.C.) Campus
- UF Health Jacksonville (Fla.)
- Mount Sinai Morningside – West (New York City)
- Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha)
- Billings (Mont.) Clinic
- The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore)
- Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas)
- MedStar Washington Hospital Center (Washington, D.C.)
- The George Washington University Hospital (Washington, D.C.)
- Summa Health System – Akron (Ohio) Campus
- HCA Florida Osceola Hospital (Kissimmee)
- The Mount Sinai Hospital (New York City)
- Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia
- Denver Health Main Campus
- Boston Medical Center
- University Hospital (Columbia, Mo.)
- MetroHealth Medical Center (Cleveland)
- VCU Medical Center Main Hospital (Richmond, Va.)
- UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital (Lexington, Ky.)
- UNM Hospital (Albuquerque, N.M.)
- Hennepin County Medical Center (Minneapolis)
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