The distinction places the academic medical center among the top 20 hospitals nationwide and reflects its high rankings in 11 adult specialties.

Keck Medical Center of USC, which includes Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital, was ranked No. 18 in the U.S. News & World Report 2020-21 Best Hospitals Honor Roll. The academic medical center also was ranked among the top 5 hospitals in California and the top 3 hospitals in the metro Los Angeles area.

“This incredible achievement is a testament to Keck Medicine of USC’s phenomenal growth and unwavering dedication to providing exceptional, research-driven academic medicine,” said Rod Hanners, interim CEO of Keck Medicine of USC. “We are extremely proud to be listed among the top medical institutions in the country and are thankful for our patients who place their trust in us to provide the highest quality care.”

The annual Best Hospitals rankings assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions or common elective procedures. For the 2020-21 rankings, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 medical centers nationwide in 16 specialties and 10 procedures or conditions. In the 16 specialty areas, only 134 hospitals (nearly 3%) were ranked in at least one specialty. Keck Medical Center and others named on the Honor Roll posted high scores across many of these areas of care.

At No. 7, geriatrics was the medical center’s highest-ranked specialty. Ten additional specialties also placed in the nation’s top 45 — urology (No. 9), pulmonology and lung surgery (No. 12), ophthalmology (No. 12), cardiology and heart surgery (No. 15), gastroenterology and GI surgery (No. 15), neurology and neurosurgery (No. 19), nephrology (No. 21), cancer (No. 26), orthopedics (No. 30) and otolaryngology (commonly known as ear, nose and throat, at No. 44).

Keck Medical Center also was rated High Performing, the highest rating possible, in nine out of 10 evaluated procedures and conditions: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, colon cancer surgery, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, hip replacement, knee replacement, lung cancer surgery and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

“These impressive specialty rankings are a result of highly skilled physicians, pioneering researchers and committed staff,” Hanners said. “The results underscore our excellent outcomes caring for and treating some of the most complicated cases in the country.”

Keck Medical Center implements best practices in all aspects of patient care. This includes highly innovative surgical practices that have proven to decrease recovery time, length of stay and post-surgical complications. In the fall of 2019 and spring of 2020, Keck Hospital earned an “A” grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national patient safety watchdog, placing Keck Hospital among the safest hospitals in the nation.

The 2020-21 Best Hospitals rankings are available at https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings.

— Alison Rainey