The exclusive hospital ratings, issued annually by U.S. News and World Report, are based on data from nearly 5,000 hospitals in 16 adult specialties and 10 pediatric specialties and are widely accepted as the official national healthcare ratings.

"This year's U.S. News & World Report's best hospital ratings demonstrate once again that providing quality healthcare goes hand-in-hand with healthcare free of prejudice and discrimination of any kind," said HRC President Joe Solmonese. "We congratulate these 14 top hospitals on this honor, and appreciate their dedication to healthcare equality for LGBT patients and families demonstrated by participating in the HEI."

"It's not a coincidence that our medical center consistently is ranked among the nation's top hospitals by both the Healthcare Equality Index and U.S. News & World Report," said Mark Laret, CEO of UCSF Medical Center. "Providing equal treatment to all patients is central to delivering the highest quality, safest and most effective health care."

The Healthcare Equality Index is an annual survey administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The HEI 2011 reported on the voluntary participation of a record 87 survey respondents, representing 375 facilities nationwide. As facilities transition to more LGBT-friendly policies and procedures, the HEI can serve as an organizational assessment tool by assisting hospitals in modifying their policies, and can help hospitals comply with Joint Commission standards addressing non-discrimination, and new HHS regulations on visitation.

HEI 2011 participating hospitals making U.S. News & World Report's 2012 Honor Roll include:

Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD

Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, New York

UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco, CA

Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA

Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis, MO

University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA

University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, Ann Arbor, MI

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, CA

View the HRC Foundation's Healthcare Equality Index 2011 at www.hrc.org/hei. The HEI 2012 survey will be available for completion in October 2011. Interested healthcare facilities should contact hei@hrc.org for more information.

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.