hospital honor roll

San Antonio hospital thrives in U.S. News ranking across Texas

Methodist Hospital San Antonio is the No. 1 best hospital in San Antonio.

San Antonio's Methodist Hospital has accomplished a healthy reputation as the No. 1 best hospital in the city, and No. 18 in Texas.

It ties for No. 18 with Houston's Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth.

The accolade appears in U.S. News’ 2024-25 ranking of the best hospitals around the country. Each hospital also ranked among various specialties, such as orthopedics; cardiology, heart, and vascular surgery; cancer; and neurology and neurosurgery.

In the same ranking, Baptist Medical Center came out as the No. 2 best hospital in San Antonio, and No. 29 in Texas, tying with HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake. Last year, the hospital shared the No. 20 spot with Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth and Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene.

Baptist Medical Center's new ranking comes just days after the hospital system broke ground on its new acute-care facility in East San Antonio.

"Our newest Neighborhood Hospital will once again expand healthcare access in San Antonio," said Baptist Health System Group CEO Matt Stone in a press release. "By strategically building our 10th location in the Rigsby area, we are not only enhancing convenience but also seamlessly connecting emergency care to our broader Baptist health system. This initiative ensures that patients receive timely, high-quality care in their neighborhoods while facilitating a smooth transition to more specialized services when needed."

Texas' best hospitals are based in Houston
Houston's MD Anderson Cancer Center once again topped the list as the best cancer hospital in the U.S. Since U.S. News introduced its annual hospital survey in 1990, MD Anderson has been ranked one of the two best U.S. hospitals for cancer care. It has maintained its No. 1 ranking for 10 consecutive years.

“At MD Anderson, our mission is clear: to end cancer,” Dr. Peter WT Pisters, president of MD Anderson, says in a news release. “This ranking reflects our relentless commitment to excellence in patient care, research, prevention, and education.”

MD Anderson also ranked highly in three specialties:

No. 2 for ear, nose, and throat.
No. 9 for urology.
No. 14 for gastroenterology and GI surgery.

“The consistent top national recognitions [that] MD Anderson receives for delivering compassionate, evidence-based care is a testament to our dedication to those we serve,” Pisters says.

Houston Methodist Hospital was crowned the overall best hospital in Texas for the 13th year in a row. Also, it was lauded as one of the country’s 20 best hospitals for the eighth time. Along with the general ranking, Houston Methodist Hospital scored high marks in 10 specialties. These include diabetes and endocrinology (No. 6), gastroenterology and GI surgery (No. 7), and pulmonology and lung surgery (No. 8).

Amber Heckler contributed to this report. This article first appeared on our sister site InnovationMap.

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A Night at the Market

San Antonio's Pearl unwraps holiday lights for night market series

Photo courtesy of Pearl

Pearl side streets are at their coziest when holiday decor is up.

The magic of the night market is returning to San Antonio's Pearl for the 2024 holiday season. A news release promises "festive music, unique local makers, and one-of-a-kind holiday finds" on Wednesday Evenings.

Like an extension of the usual farmers and summer makers markets held on the weekends, these markets will bring local vendors to the streets. Holiday Night Markets are scheduled for November 27 and December 4, 11, and 18 from 5-9 pm.

Although Pearl hasn't provided a list of vendors, we do know they'll be selling seasonal goods. Produce is not on the menu, so shoppers will still need to stop by the farmers market for their veggies.

Pearl Holiday Night Market The Holiday Night Markets are a lot like farmers markets in the same location.Photo courtesy of Pearl

The markets will be surrounded by Pearl's other holiday initiatives, including a holiday tree that lights up November 29, the day after Thanksgiving. In response to a question on Facebook about when carolers would stop by, Pearl could not give a date but confirmed that there would be different entertainment every week.

There will also be an opportunity to donate to several charities via Giving Machines from November 18 to December 8. The five benefactors in 2024 are the San Antonio Food Bank, Wish for Our Heroes, Alamo Head Injury Association, Vibrant Works and Catholic Charities of San Antonio. Donors can choose which they want to receive their gift.

Pearl Giving Machines The Giving Machines are like vending machines that drop gift cards into a collection bin to show contributions.Photo courtesy of Pearl

“We are delighted to welcome The Giving Machines back to Pearl in 2024,” said Pearl CEO Mesha Millsap in a separate press release. “Last year's overwhelming response showcased the incredible generosity of San Antonians during the giving season. We're excited to once again offer our community a chance to come together and make a tangible difference in the lives of our neighbors.”

Let me know if you have any questions. I am sharing a link to a folder of high-res images here to include markets, the tree and the Giving Machines. Our Giving Machines event takes place this morning at 10:30 a.m. and we opened a media pass through 11am for that press conference.

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