Stanford Hospital & Clinics has been ranked No. 1 in San Jose, Calif., in the first-ever Best Hospitals metro area rankings by U.S. News & World Report.

The rankings recognize 622 hospitals in or near major cities with a record of high performance in key medical specialties and include 132 of the 152 hospitals already identified as the best in the nation. Stanford Hospital & Clinics consistently ranks among the top institutions in the U.S. News & World Report annual list of “America’s Best Hospitals.”

To be ranked in its metro area, a hospital had to score in the top 25 percent in at least one of 16 medical specialties. Stanford Hospital & Clinics was ranked nationally in 12 of the 16 specialties:

• Cancer, No. 11
• Diabetes & endocrinology, No. 28
• Ear, nose & throat, No. 16
• Geriatrics, No. 37
• Gynecology, No. 12
• Heart & heart surgery, No. 16
• Kidney disorders, No. 25
• Neurology & neurosurgery, No. 27
• Orthopedics, No. 17
• Psychiatry, No. 13
• Rheumatology, No. 13
• Urology, No. 22

Three specialty areas also were honored as “high performing,” including gastroenterology, pulmonology and rehabilitation.

The rankings are posted online at usnews.com/hospitals.