John Muir Health's Walnut Creek Medical Center earned high-performing ratings in 15 procedures and two adult specialties in U.S. News & World Report's 2026-27 Best Hospitals rankings, released Wednesday, Aug. 5, placing it among just 505 hospitals nationwide to receive the Best Regional Hospital designation.

The 554-bed facility on Ygnacio Valley Road ranked No. 27 in California out of more than 400 hospitals evaluated statewide. Together with John Muir Health's Concord campus, the two medical centers placed in the top four out of nearly 50 hospitals in the San Francisco metro area, according to U.S. News.

Only 11% of the 4,500 hospitals evaluated nationally qualified for the regional designation.

The Walnut Creek campus's orthopedics and rehabilitation programs both ranked in the top three among San Francisco metro area specialties. Its 15 high-performing procedures and conditions span back surgery (spinal fusion), hip replacement, maternity care, stroke, colon cancer surgery, gynecological cancer surgery, heart arrhythmia, heart failure, hip fracture, kidney failure, knee replacement, leukemia/lymphoma and myeloma, lung cancer surgery, pacemaker implantation and pneumonia.

Mike Thomas, president and CEO of John Muir Health, said the recognition reflects the work of physicians, nurses and support staff across the system, calling it evidence of "the expertise, compassion and dedication our patients experience throughout our health system," according to a statement reported by Contra Costa News.

The ranking carries local weight. Four of Walnut Creek's six largest employers are health care companies, and nearly 25% of jobs in the city are in the medical field, according to the city's economic development office. The medical center has served as Contra Costa County's only designated trauma center since 1986 — a Level II facility also covering portions of Solano County.

John Muir Health, a not-for-profit system headquartered in Walnut Creek, said it has now earned a nationally ranked specialty for 20 consecutive years. The system operates more than 1,000 primary care and specialist physicians across its network.

This year's U.S. News methodology introduced regional specialty rankings in cancer, cardiology and orthopedics for the first time. Ben Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News, said the new breakdowns help families "confidently find and choose high-quality care, often right in their own communities."

The rankings are published annually. The next cycle, covering 2027-28, is expected in summer 2027.