Intermountain Health Primary Children's Among Nation's Best According to U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report ranked Intermountain Health Primary Children's Hospitals in all 11 pediatric specialties.

SALT LAKE CITY, UT (PRUnderground) September 15th, 2026

Intermountain Health Primary Children's Hospitals once again earned national recognition in all 11 pediatric specialties ranked by U.S. News & World Report in its 2026-27 Best Children's Hospitals rankings.

For the third consecutive year, the three Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital campuses (Salt Lake City, Lehi, and Taylorsville), in partnership with University of Utah Health, ranked among the nation's best children's hospitals in every specialty the publication evaluated. 

This year, Intermountain Primary Children's Hospitals increased the number of specialties ranked among the nation's Top 25 programs from six to seven and two key programs, pediatric neonatology and cancer, joined the Top 25 for the first time. 

The rankings reflect continued growth across nearly every specialty area and highlight Intermountain Health's commitment to pediatric innovation, research, and clinical excellence, said Mandy Richards, DPN, RN, Intermountain Health chief nursing executive and president of Intermountain Children's Health.

"Being recognized in all 11 pediatric specialty categories reflects the extraordinary dedication of our caregivers, as well as the trust that children and families place in us every day," said Richards. "This honor represents the expertise, innovation, collaboration, and compassion across Intermountain Children's Health that make exceptional care possible. I am deeply grateful to our caregivers for their shared commitment to putting the child first and always, helping every child live the healthiest life possible and reach their full potential." 

As one of the nation's leading pediatric hospitals serving patients from a seven-state region, Intermountain Health Primary Children's Hospitals three campuses in Utah continue to advance the future of children's health through groundbreaking research, advanced therapies, and multidisciplinary care. 

Innovations in cancer treatment, congenital heart care, neonatal medicine, transplantation, cell and gene therapies, and pediatric surgery help set a national standard for pediatric healthcare while ensuring children and families have access to highly specialized care close to home. 

"I'm proud of what our teams and our University of Utah Health physician partners have built together," said Dustin Lipson, president of Intermountain Health Primary Children's Hospital, Salt Lake Campus. "That collaboration has fueled meaningful progress in research, advanced therapies, and in the breadth of services we can offer children."

According to the 2026-27 U.S. News' Best Children's Hospital rankings, Intermountain Primary Children's Hospitals earned Top 25 national rankings in seven pediatric specialties: 

• Orthopedics: No. 11
• Cardiology & Heart Surgery: No. 11
• Neurology & Neurosurgery: No. 12 
• Urology: No. 15 
• Nephrology: No. 17 
• Neonatology: No. 19 
• Cancer: No. 20

In addition, Intermountain Primary Children's Hospitals also earned Top 50 national recognition in four additional specialties: 

 • Gastroenterology & GI Surgery: No. 27
• Diabetes & Endocrinology: No. 30
• Pulmonology & Lung Surgery: No. 40
• Behavioral Health: Top 50 designation (U.S. News currently designates Top 50 programs in Behavioral Health without assigning numerical rankings.)

The strong performance by the hospitals in every specialty category reflects a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration among caregivers, physicians, researchers, and community partners, according to Angelo P. Giardino, MD, chair of the University of Utah School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics and chief medical officer of Intermountain Children's Health.

"Together, we're advancing pediatric medicine through innovative treatments, improved outcomes, enhanced patient experiences, and expanded access to specialized care for children throughout the region," said Dr. Giardino. "We recruit some of the nation's best physicians to our teams here at University of Utah Health and Intermountain Primary Children's Hospitals, and their commitment to putting the child first and always shows in these rankings." 

                                                                                     
About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a nonprofit health plan called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://news.intermountainhealth.org/. For more information, see intermountainhealth.org/ or call 801-442-2000.

Original Press Release.