Severance Hospital announced on Sept. 18 that it ranked No. 6 globally in orthopedics and No. 10 worldwide in endocrinology in Newsweek’s "World's Best Specialized Hospitals 2027" rankings.
The hospital secured the top domestic rank among South Korean institutions across three clinical specialties: orthopedics, neurosurgery, and obstetrics and gynecology. Conducted in partnership with global research firm Statista, the evaluation assessed 13 clinical specialties and published its results on Sept. 17. This year's assessment marked the first time nephrology was included as an evaluated category, with Newsweek issuing separate rankings by specialty rather than an overall hospital rank.
Climbing Global Standings and Expanding Domestic Leadership
Severance Hospital’s orthopedics department rose three places from No. 9 globally last year to No. 6 this year, while advancing from No. 2 to No. 1 in South Korea. In endocrinology, the hospital climbed two positions from No. 12 last year to No. 10 worldwide, breaking into the global top 10.
Severance also maintained its No. 1 domestic ranking in both neurosurgery and obstetrics and gynecology, replicating its top performance from the previous year. In the newly added nephrology category, the hospital ranked No. 2 in South Korea.
Peer Recommendations and Patient Metrics Drive 83.5% of Scoring
The Newsweek evaluation blends expert peer reputation with objective quality standards rather than measuring single-disease mortality rates or surgical outcome figures alone.
Recommendations from medical professionals worldwide accounted for 83.5% of the overall score. International hospital accreditation made up 10%, while the remaining 6.5% was determined by the implementation of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). PROMs allow patients to directly rate their own health status—including pain levels, physical function, and quality of life—while assessing how systematically hospitals track and apply this data to enhance clinical care.
"Ranking No. 1 in South Korea across major clinical specialties and entering the global top 10 in orthopedics and endocrinology reflect the dedication and clinical excellence of our entire staff," said Lee Kang-young, president of Severance Hospital. "We will continue striving to deliver superior, patient-centered medical care."
