Becker's Cardiology: 100 hospitals and health systems with great heart programs | 2026
By Anna Falvey
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S, and the hospital and health system heart programs on this list are leading the fight against it.
Becker’s is proud to recognize the hospitals and health systems that are setting the standard for cardiovascular care, boasting exceptional clinical outcomes, life-saving technology and groundbreaking research.
Many of the institutions featured here also earn consistent top honors from U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, Healthgrades, and other respected ranking organizations. This list is not a ranking or rating, but rather a way to highlight the great things happening in heart care across the nation.
Children’s Mercy Kansas City (Mo.). According to U.S. News & World Report, Children’s Mercy Kansas City is No. 26 in the nation for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery for 2026-27. Its Ward Family Heart Center has 35 pediatric cardiologists and heart surgeons and runs outreach clinics across a 150-county service area that covers all of Kansas as well as western and southern Missouri. The center’s cardiac high acuity monitoring program pairs program-specific technology with a dedicated team to monitor babies with single-ventricle heart disease at home between their first and second surgeries. Its congenital heart surgeons specialize in reconstructive valve surgery for children and adults, and are developing alternative valve therapies, including human valve transplants. The advanced cardiac therapies and transplantation program provides advanced heart failure care and pediatric heart transplantation, and the center partners with Saint Luke’s Hospital and The University of Kansas Medical Center, both based in Kansas City, to move congenital heart patients into adult care. Its heart center wellbeing program combines the “Thrive” family support program with cardiac neurodevelopmental care to build emotional, cognitive and mental health support into cardiac treatment. Researchers study pharmacogenomics, imaging, tissue engineering and outcomes, and are working with the hospital’s Genomic Medicine Center to identify genetic causes of congenital heart disease.
See the full list via Becker's Cardiology