U.S. News & World Report has ranked Massachusetts General Hospital the nation’s best hospital in a new national report card on U.S. medical centers.

The magazine’s rankings are based on information on nearly 5,000 medical centers and is designed to help patients with life-threatening or rare conditions select hospitals based on their specialties.

"Patients deserve high-quality information on hospitals," Ben Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News, said in a news release. "We strive to provide them with the most comprehensive data available so they can make more informed decisions together with their doctor about where to undergo treatment."

Massachusetts General Hospital earned the No. 1 spot, followed by the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital, UCLA Medical Center, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (for cancer care), the Cleveland Clinic (cardiology and heart surgery), and the Hospital for Special Surgery (orthopedics).

In all, 137 U.S. hospitals earned high national rankings in one or more specialties.