Statista and Newsweek have partnered to provide patients with a comprehensive resource to aid in finding the best doctors in the United States across 15 medical fields for their specific treatment needs.
America’s Leading Doctors awards the top 175-200 doctors in the following medical specialties: Cardiothoracic surgery, Cataracts surgery, Colorectal surgery, Foot and Ankle surgery, Glaucoma surgery, Hand surgery, Hip surgery, Knee surgery, Mohs surgery, Pain Management, Retina surgery, Shoulder surgery, Spine surgery, Sports Medicine, and Vascular surgery.
The lists are based on four data sources:
- Doctor performance data: Analysis of 2022-2023 performance benchmark data based on Medicare Fee-for-Service claims and commercial data sourced from Arcadia
- Online survey by state: Online survey of thousands of medical experts (doctors, managers/ administrators, and other medical professionals) across 20 states with knowledge in the respective medical field
- Quality Score: Quality of care rating by peers
- Certifications: Certifications from several American medical and surgical certification boards
Doctor performance data:
Sixty percent of the total score is based on exclusive performance benchmark data sourced from Arcadia.
Doctors’ performance was evaluated based on Episode of care data, including all medical episodes relevant to the respective specialty, as well as referral volume data.
The following medical episodes were included as part of the evaluation for Cardiothoracic surgery:
- Heart valve surgery
- Coronary artery bypass graft surgery
- Heart device and aorta surgeries
- Surgical removal of lung
The volume of episodes performed and the following six outcome measures per episode were considered:
- Average LOS (Days) of Institutional Long-term Stay
- ER Visits per 1,000 Episodes
- Mortality Rate
- Complications by Episode
- Unplanned Readmissions per 1,000 Episodes
- Average Episode Payment
Scores were assigned for volume of episodes and outcomes measures per episode by comparing each doctor’s performance for each metric relative to all other doctors of the same specialty practicing in the same state in a given year.
Additionally, physicians who treated a particularly high number of patients for one or more relevant episodes within their state in 2023 received a High Performance award in the form of 1, 2, or 3 ribbons.
Online survey by state
From March to May 2025, Statista invited thousands of medical experts (physicians, managers/administrators, and other medical with knowledge in the respective medical field) in the 20 U.S. states with the highest number of doctors (varies per specialty) to an online survey. The survey was also promoted on newsweek.com.
Participants were asked to recommend doctors in their own state and in any of the other U.S. states included in the survey. The reason for recommendation (e.g., well-known specialist), the work experience of the participant, and the order of recommendation were taken into account. They were also able to specify a “peers’ choice” standout treatment for each recommended doctor.
Recommendations from peers constitute 27.5% of the total doctor score.
Quality Score
For within-state recommendations, participants were asked to assess the quality of care (e.g., treatments, follow-up care, use of most recent equipment) and professional expertise (e.g., knowledge in medical field) of the doctor. For each recommended physician, participants rated the quality dimensions on a scale from 1 (“poor”) to 10 (“excellent”).
A quality score was calculated for each physician with within-state recommendations. This score accounts for 7.5% of the total score.
Certifications
For the specialty Cardiothoracic surgery, the following certifications and board memberships were considered:
- American Board of Surgery:
Certifications contribute 5% to the total score.
Notes regarding results tables:
- Hospital affiliation for each physician was determined by patient volume. For physicians with no data related to hospital affiliation, affiliation was determined by desk research.
- If the specified affiliated hospital has been awarded in a hospital ranking, it is listed under ‘Affiliated with best hospital’.
- Up to three ribbons were awarded for each episode based on each doctor’s percentile rank for episode volume within their state. If a particular procedure was recommended frequently by peers, it is indicated under “Peers’ Choice”.
The methodology overview is available here.
The extended methodology is available here.
Disclaimer
The rankings are comprised exclusively of doctors that are eligible regarding the scope described in this article. A mention in the top lists is a positive recognition based on peer recommendations and available data sources at the time. The top lists are the result of an elaborate process which, due to the interval of data-collection and analysis, is a reflection of the past 12 months only. Furthermore, any events preceding or following the period June 25th, 2024 – June 24th, 2025, were not included in the metrics. As such, the results of these top lists should not be used as the sole source of information for future deliberations.
The information provided in these top lists should be considered in conjunction with other available information about physicians or, if possible, accompanied by a visit to a hospital/physician’s practice. The quality of physicians that are not included in the top lists are not disputed.
About Statista R
Statista R is a world leader in the creation of company, brand, and product rankings and top lists, based on comprehensive market research and data analysis: Statista R recognizes the best. With a team of over 100 expert analysts and in cooperation with more than 40 high profile media brands across all continents, Statista R creates transparency for consumers and business decision makers and helps companies build trust and recognition across a plethora of industries and product categories. Visit r.statista.com for further information about Statista R and our rankings.
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