It’s always hard when a loved one falls ill, but when the loved one is a child, it can be especially devastating for the family. For the past eight years, U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals has helped families of sick children choose facilities best suited to treat their child’s specific need. The 2014-15 results were recently released, rating over 100 U.S. children’s hospitals.

Each hospital’s rating is based on their performance in three categories: clinical outcomes, efficiency and coordination of care delivery, and care-related resources, Health News US reported. The ratings were based on survey answers filled out by pediatric specialists and subspecialists from selected hospitals. A total of 183 hospitals were sent surveys, but only 116 provided enough information to be included in the lists. Only 89 of the 116 hospitals included ranked in at least one specialty. Those hospitals with high scores in three or more specialties were added to the Honor Roll list.

Honor Roll

This year’s Honor Roll ranking included the 10 U.S. children’s hospitals, which ranked at or near the top in three or more categories. Boston Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia once again tied for the top spot. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Care placed in the respectable third position for the second year in a row, the NY Daily News reported. For a complete list of this year’s Honor Roll list, please click here.

What Categories Are Included?

The U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals serves as a guide to which hospitals have excelled in treating sick children. Hospitals are ranked by 10 specialties, which include:

These later help form lists for 50 best hospitals for any given category. The lists serves as guides to help parents and guardians of sick children make the best choice when it comes to hospital care. The list should be used as a starting point for families, but other factors such as the stress and expenses of travel, as well as an insurer’s willingness to pay for care at a hospital outside its network, should all be taken into account, Health US News reported.

”Our rankings are designed to provide a guide or decision-support for healthcare consumers, especially families with very sick children,” Ben Harder, the managing editor and director of healthcare analysis for the survey, explained to the NY Daily News. Harper continued to add that the results will hopefully help families and doctors in their decisions of “where best to send a very sick patient.”