The U.S. News & World Report today released its annual Best Hospitals rankings, citing Inova Fairfax Hospital as the top Washington, D.C. metro hospital. Inova Loudoun Hospital ranked eighth. All of Inova Health System’s five hospitals advanced to the top 20 with 4 in the top ten. This year’s Best Hospitals, the 23rd annual edition, showcases more than 720 of the nation’s roughly 5,000 hospitals. Fewer than 150 are nationally ranked in at least one of 16 medical specialties. The rest of the recognized hospitals met a standard of performance nearly as demanding in one or more specialties.

“Inova is reinventing healthcare, increasing value for our patients,” said Knox Singleton, CEO of Inova Health System. “Our care model emphasizes collaboration between physician, patient and family underscoring wellness, education, research and care management as part of our commitment to improving the health of the community we serve.”

The hospital rankings, said U.S. News Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow, are like a GPS-type aid to help steer patients to hospitals with strong skills in the procedures and medical conditions that present the biggest challenges. “All of these hospitals are the kinds of medical centers that should be on your list when you need the best care,” said Comarow. “They are where other hospitals send the toughest cases.”

The rankings were published by U.S. News in collaboration with RTI International, a research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Highlights of the 2012-13 rankings will appear in the U.S. News Best Hospitals 2013 guidebook, to go on sale in August.

The complete rankings and methodology are available at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals.