WALNUT CREEK, Calif.—John Muir Health’s Walnut Creek and Concord medical centers have been ranked among the nation’s top hospitals by U.S. News & World Report in its annual list of America's Best Hospitals. The annual rankings recognize hospitals that excel in treating patients with complex conditions.

John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek and John Muir Medical Center, Concord were two of just 147 hospitals – roughly 3 percent of the 4,806 analyzed – to be nationally ranked in one of 16 medical specialties. This places both medical centers among America’s Best Hospitals and as two of the top ranked medical centers on the West Coast. John Muir Health’s medical centers were the only non-academic medical centers in northern California to appear in the Top 50 in a specialty.

For the seventh consecutive year, John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek had services nationally ranked. This year, the services in the Top 50 were Orthopedics, Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Gynecology, and Geriatrics. The Walnut Creek medical center has been nationally ranked in Orthopedics and Gastroenterology & GI Surgery for seven straight years and Gynecology for the past two years. This is also the second time that the medical center has been nationally ranked in Geriatrics. In addition, John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek was ranked as high-performing in eight specialties, including Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Ear, Nose & Throat, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Pulmonology, and Urology.

John Muir Medical Center, Concord was rank ed in the Top 50 nationally for the first time in Orthopedics and Diabetes & Endocrinology. Along with the national rankings, the Concord medical center was ranked as high-performing in eight specialties, including Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Pulmonology, and Urology. Combined, the two medical centers had 12 services nationally ranked or rated as high performing.

In addition to the national rankings, U.S. News published state and metropolitan hospital rankings. John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek is listed at #2 out of 45 hospitals in the San Francisco-Oakland area and #7 out of nearly 400 acute care hospitals in California. John Muir Medical Center, Concord is listed at #3 locally and #11 in the state, moving up seven spots from last year. John Muir Health’s medical centers were the only non-academic hospitals in northern California to appear in the Top 20 state rankings.

“Having community hospitals that continually rank among the region, state and nation best is a tremendous achievement that demonstrates our sustained excellence and commitment to delivering exceptional patient care,” said Jane Willemsen, president and chief administrative officer of John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek. “These honors, including five nationally ranked services, are a testament to John Muir Health’s incredible team of doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers who work together to save lives and provide the finest possible care to the communities we serve.”

“This is a time of great change in health care, but everyone at John Muir Health continues to focus every day on the needs of our patients,” said Mike Thomas, president and chief administrative officer at John Muir Medical Center, Concord. “These rankings should give patients confidence that they will receive a high level of patient-centered care from experts in their field in a range of specialties so they can stay close to home, family and friends.”

“John Muir Health’s commitment to high-quality care, safety and a superior patient experience are reflected in the rankings by U.S. News,” said Irving Pike, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at John Muir Health. “From primary care services to hospitalization to rehabilitation to ongoing care management, we are able to offer patients a full continuum of care to meet their needs. We are well positioned with the right mix of services to care for our patients and community for many years to come.”

U.S. News publishes its Best Hospitals list to help guide patients who need a high level of care because they face particularly difficult surgery, a challenging condition, or added risk because of other health problems or age. Objective measures such as patient survival and safety data, the adequacy of nurse staffing levels and other data largely determine the rankings in most specialties.

Between the two medical centers in Concord and Walnut Creek, John Muir Health has 842 licensed beds. John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek also serves as the designated trauma center for Contra Costa County. In addition, the health system offers a network of 950 primary care and specialty physicians to care for patients.

The complete rankings and methodology are available at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals and will appear in print in the U.S. News Best Hospitals 2014 guidebook, available in bookstores and on newsstands August 27.

To learn more about John Muir Health’s award-winning programs and services, visit: www.johnmuirhealth.com.

About John Muir Health

John Muir Health is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care organization east of San Francisco serving patients in Contra Costa, eastern Alameda and southern Solano Counties. It includes a network of 950 primary care and specialty physicians, more than 6,000 employees, medical centers in Concord and Walnut Creek, including the county’s only trauma center, and a Behavioral Health Center. The health system also offers a full-range of medical services, including primary care, outpatient, lab and imaging services, and is widely recognized as a leader in many specialties – neurosciences, orthopedic, cancer, cardiovascular, trauma, emergency and high-risk obstetrics care. For more information, visit johnmuirhealth.com.