U.S. News & World Report Rankings

Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health is honored to be ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report. In 2020-21, we are ranked in 10 pediatric specialties – one of only 24 pediatric hospitals to do so.

In addition, our Cardiology & Heart Surgery and Urology programs are ranked in the top 5 and three more programs are ranked in the top 15. Through enduring collaborations with the Indiana University School of Medicine, Riley Hospital for Children is ranked sixth in the nation for NIH Research funding, totaling more than $32 million in 2020.

Learn more about all of our specialties in our Surgery Annual Report and our Medical Specialties Annual Report.

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Choose a department to learn more about each ranking:

Urology

Ranked 2nd by U.S. News & World Report
  • Performs more pediatric urologic surgeries than any children’s hospital in North America - totaling more than 4,500 surgeries and more than 18,000 outpatient visits annually
  • Extensive experience in reconstructive urology hosting the largest database in the world for complex pediatric urinary tract reconstruction
  • One of only 4 centers in the nation designated as a Center of Surgical Excellence for surgical reconstruction for children born with congenital adrenal hyperplasia
  • Designated by the Association for the Bladder Exstrophy Community as one of 10 international Centers of Excellence for the care of children with bladder exstrophy
Learn more about our Urology program.

Cardiology & Heart Surgery

Ranked 5th by U.S. News & World Report
  • Among the nation's busiest and highest acuity pediatric and adult congenital heart centers
  • One of only 7 hospitals in the U.S. with the highest quality rating (three-star) from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)
  • Recognized nationally and internationally for procedures that repair undersized pulmonary arteries, remove cardiac tumors and rebuild complex heart anatomies, as well as a high-volume center for the Ross procedure, a surgery that uses a patient’s pulmonary valve to replace the aortic valve
  • One of the first pediatric programs in the U.S. to support the failing heart in a child with a Berlin heart and in 2003, the first program in North America to implant one in an infant
Learn more about our Cardiology & Heart Surgery program.

Neonatology

Ranked in the Top 15 by U.S. News & World Report
  • The ECMO program is designated by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) as a Platinum Level Center of Excellence
  • One of the first neonatal critical care programs in the country now serving a large volume of complex patients with neonatal expertise within all medical and surgical sub-specialties, and overall excellent outcomes
  • Participates in the Vermont Oxford Network to evaluate care compared to NICUs nationwide and to perform collaborative quality improvement with NICUs
  • Member of the Children’s Hospitals Neonatal Consortium of Level IV NICUs to improve care and outcomes
Learn more about our Neonatology program.

Nephrology & Kidney Diseases

Ranked in the Top 15 by U.S. News & World Report
  • Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program is nationally ranked in the top quartile and is part of the Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative (IROC)
  • Leading-edge patient care and research with two R01- funded nephrologists, among the leading recipients of National Institutes of Health funding for pediatric nephrology
  • Currently conducting 20 ongoing IRB clinical studies with each division member a PI on an active research study
Learn more about our Nephrology & Kidney Diseases program.

Pulmonology & Respiratory Care

Ranked in the Top 15 by U.S. News & World Report
  • Pediatric respiratory disease researchers conducted 119 clinical studies and published over 53 manuscripts in 2019
  • Dedicated programs combine expertise with care coordination to treat complex conditions, including housing one of the largest cystic fibrosis centers in the nation
  • Allergy physicians at Riley are involved in trials of food immunotherapy and in nationally recognized studies of the developing airway microbiome
  • Riley’s successful transition from inpatient to outpatient asthma care has decreased hospital readmission rates by more than 90%
Learn more about our Pulmonology & Respiratory Care program.

Cancer

Ranked in the Top 25 by U.S. News & World Report
  • Part of CureWorks, a unique collaboration among five elite academic children’s hospitals that enables Riley oncologists to offer more clinical trial options in CAR-T cell therapy science
  • Globally recognized translational research initiatives aim to revolutionize cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment and include 78 open clinical trials in oncology and 7 open clinical trials in hematology
  • Physicians see more than 300 new oncology patients, over 700 new hematology patients each year, and more than 13,000 outpatient visits – all with an 85% five-year survival rate.
Learn more about our Cancer program.

Gastroenterology & G.I. Surgery

Ranked in the Top 25 by U.S. News & World Report
  • Team of 17 specialists (including two hepatologists) leads national research and clinical care, performing more than 2,500 pediatric endoscopy procedures and caring for 300+ liver patients annually
  • Performs 10-16 liver transplants annually with outstanding outcomes
  • Specialized and multidisciplinary programs provide expert care for patients with:
  • Research focused team of pediatric G.I. specialists published 82 peer-reviewed articles since 2018 and is part of the national ImproveCareNow network
Learn more about our Gastroenterology & G.I. Surgery program.

Neurology & Neurosurgery

Ranked in the Top 25 by U.S. News & World Report
  • As one of the largest and most experienced pediatric neurosurgery teams in the United States The pediatric neurosurgery service performs nearly 900 procedures each year
  • In 2019, the neurosurgery team participated in 38 Institutional Review Board-approved studies access to the latest clinical trials, providing leading-edge patient care to children and young adults with neurological conditions
  • Multidisciplinary pediatric neurosurgery programs for:
Learn more about our Neurology & Neurosurgery program.

Diabetes & Endocrinology

Ranked by U.S. News & World Report
  • Leading-edge research on treatment and prevention of type I and type 2 diabetes combined with comprehensive family-centered clinical care
  • Nationally recognized faculty with expertise in every area of pediatric endocrinology, as well as opportunities for participation in clinical trials of new medications in diabetes and endocrine conditions
  • Multidisciplinary programs in:
Learn more about our Diabetes & Endocrinology program.

Orthopedics

Ranked by U.S. News & World Report
  • Comprehensive musculoskeletal care—using the latest technological advances—for children of all ages, infancy through adolescence
  • Holistic spinal deformity program, supported by a dedicated team of pediatric anesthesiologists, features the latest advancements in technology and postoperative care
  • Performed nearly 1,500 surgeries and 16,000 outpatient visits in 2019
Learn more about our Orthopedics program.