Three Kane County Hospitals are ranked among the top 40 in Illinois.

The U.S. News & World Report annual rankings released May 20 named Presence St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin, Cadence Health-Delnor Hospital in Geneva and Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora as among the top 40 in the state and the top 41 “common care” hospitals in the Chicago metropolitan region.

Why is that a big deal?

Well, Illinois has about 220 hospitals. Thirteen are nationally ranked and 37 others meet standards for strong performance within the state. The “common care” ranking is significant because it separates those hospitals that provide general service to a community and score high in quality in a number of disciplines.

The honor roll of the nation’s best hospitals is an elite group of 17, with very high scores in at least six specialties. The top three were the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA, and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MA. So the common-care hospitals carry much of the burden for daily care.

For an example, consider this: Over the next 12 months, more than 1 million Americans will have surgery to replace a hip or knee. Approximately 400,000 will have heart bypass surgery. About 900,000 will be hospitalized for congestive heart failure and another 700,000 or more for the respiratory condition called COPD. These are among the most common procedures and conditions that hospitals encounter.

“It would be comforting to think that all hospitals perform acceptably across all five, and in other surgeries and medical conditions considered relatively ordinary,” the U.S. News website explains. “Many do — unfortunately, though, not all. Best Hospitals for Common Care is meant to help consumers see how well their local hospitals stand up to close scrutiny.”

How U.S. News evaluated hospitals for Best Hospitals for Common Care, and answers to other questions of interest to health consumers, are addressed in this FAQ. Much more detail can be found in a formal methodology report, available as a downloadable PDF.

In addition to those accolades, the Congestive Heart Failure Program at Presence Saint Joseph Hospital has been rated among the nation’s highest performing in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals for Common Care ratings. The ratings evaluate more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide on common inpatient procedures and conditions. Only 11 percent of hospitals in the nation achieved a high performing ranking in Heart Failure.

Top Hospitals in Illinois

Common Care Hospital Ranking