U.S. News ranks Houston hospital No. 1 in Texas for 14th year in a row

Topping the Charts

Houston Methodist is once again the top hospital in Texas. Photo via Houston Methodist

U.S. News & World Report has released its 2025 rankings of the best hospitals in Texas, and they prove that Houston is in good hands.

The esteemed Houston Methodist Hospital was rated the No. 1 best hospital in Texas for the 14th consecutive year, and the No. 1 hospital in the metro area. Eleven more Houston-area hospitals earned spots among the statewide top 35.

U.S. News annually evaluates 581 Texas hospitals to determine which meet the publication's rigorous standards and offer the best care for patients. Hospitals are also ranked among 15 specialties, including cancer, cardiology, heart and vascular surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, psychiatry, rehabilitation, diabetes and endocrinology, and more.

Houston Methodist also appeared on U.S. News' prestigious list of Honor Roll hospitals, consisting of 20 medical centers that are deemed the "best of the best" hospitals in the nation. No other Texas hospitals made the list, further proving that Houston Methodist takes exceptional care of its patients.

"This is a tremendous achievement for our physicians and employees who dedicate themselves every day to our patients," said Marc Boom, M.D., president and CEO of Houston Methodist, in a press release. "We take pride in these national recognitions but more importantly, these accolades reflect our unparalleled commitment to keeping our patients at the center of everything we do."

Houston Methodist earned several top-20 rankings across 11 of the 15 total specialties nationwide. It also earned national recognition for having the 7th best gastroenterology/GI surgery program, the 8th best pulmonology and lung surgery programs, and the 10th best diabetes and endocrinology programs in the country.

Elsewhere in Houston, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ranked as the No. 1 best cancer hospital in the nation for the 11th year in a row.

"We are honored to again be ranked as the nation’s top hospital for cancer care – a recognition that reaffirms our commitment to our shared mission to end cancer," said MD Anderson president Peter WT Pisters, M.D., in a release. "We are grateful to every one of our teammates, trainees, students, donors, volunteers, advocates and patients, whose unwavering dedication make it possible for MD Anderson to deliver outstanding patient care."

Other top-performing Houston-area hospitals that ranked among the best in Texas include:

  • No. 4 – Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center
  • No. 5 – Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital
  • No. 6 – Memorial Hermann Hospital
  • No. 8 – Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital
  • No. 9 – Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital
  • No. 12 – Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital
  • No. 13 – Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center (tied with Baylor Scott and White All Saints Medical Center - Fort Worth)
  • No. 21 – Houston Methdodist Baytown Hospital (tied with Methodist Hospital - Stone Oak in San Antonio and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth)
  • No. 25 – HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake in Webster (tied with St. Luke's Health - The Woodlands Hospital, Baylor Scott and White Medical Center - Round Rock-Lakeway, and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano)
  • No. 29 – University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston (tied with Medical City Plano)
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This article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

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The merger that would have created the largest hospital system in Texas has been called off. Photo via memorialhermann.org

Major Texas hospital merger between Memorial Hermann and Baylor Scott & White called off

Discharged

Two Texas hospitals that were headed for union have called off their engagement plans, according to a joint statement. Dallas-based Baylor Scott and White and Houston-based Memorial Hermann announced in October that they were on track to combine forces following a letter of intent to merge and create a combined system.

The merger would have created a system with over 68 hospital campuses, 1,100 care delivery sites, almost 14,000 physicians, and serve almost 10 million patients each year, according to the October release. The more formalized agreement was expected this year.

"After months of thoughtful exploration, we have decided to discontinue talks of a merger between our two systems," the February 5 release states. "Ultimately, we have concluded that as strong, successful organizations, we are capable of achieving our visions for the future without merging at this time."

Jim Hinton, current CEO of Baylor Scott and White, was announced to be the system's CEO. Chuck Stokes, president and CEO of Memorial Hermann, was said to serve in the proposed office of the CEO, along with Baylor Scott and White president, Pete McCanna.

"We have a tremendous amount of respect for each other and remain committed to strengthening our communities, advancing the health of Texans and transforming the delivery of care," the release continues. "We will continue to seek opportunities for collaboration as two forward-thinking, mission-driven organizations."

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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5 minority-founded Houston startups shine as Innovation Awards finalists

Meet the Finalists

Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the nation, and that trend carries over into its innovation and startup ecosystem.

As part of the 2025 Houston Innovation Awards, our Minority-founded Businesses category will honor an innovative Houston startup founded or co-founded by BIPOC or LGBTQ+ representation.

Five minority-founded businesses have been named finalists for the 2025 award. The finalists, selected by our esteemed panel of judges, range from a wearable health tech device company to a clean chemical manufacturing business to a startup with a lunar mission.

Read more about these innovative businesses, their initiatives, and their inspirational founders below. Then join us at the Houston Innovation Awards on Nov. 13 at Greentown Labs, when the winner will be unveiled at our live awards ceremony.

Tickets are on now for this exclusive event celebrating all things Houston Innovation.

Capwell Services

Houston-based methane capture company Capwell Services works to eliminate vented oil and gas emissions economically for operators. According to the company, methane emissions are vented from most oil and gas facilities due to safety protocols, and operators are not able to capture the gas cost-effectively, leading operators to emit more than 14 million metric tons of methane per year in the US and Canada, equivalent to more than 400 million metric tons of CO2e per year. Founded in 2022, Capwell specializes in low and intermittent flow vents for methane capture.

The company began as a University of Pennsylvania senior design project led by current CEO Andrew Lane. It has since participated in programs with Greentown Labs and Rice Clean Energy Accelerator. The company moved to Houston in 2023 and raised a pre-seed round. It has also received federal funding from the DOE. Capwell is currently piloting its commercial unit with oil and gas operators.

Deep Anchor Solutions

Offshore energy consulting and design company Deep Anchor Solutions aims to help expedite the adoption of floating offshore energy infrastructure with its deeply embedded ring anchor (DERA) technology. According to the company, its patented DERA system can be installed quietly without heavy-lift vessels, reducing anchor-related costs by up to 75 percent and lifecycle CO2 emissions by up to 80 percent.

The company was founded in 2023 by current CEO Junho Lee and CTO Charles Aubeny. Lee earned his Ph.D. in geotechnical engineering from Texas A&M University, where Aubeny is a professor of civil and environmental engineering. The company has not raised VC funding, but has participated in numerous accelerators and incubators, including Greentown Labs, MassChallenge, EnergyTechNexus LiftOff and others. Lee is an Activate 2025 fellow.

Mars Materials

Clean chemical manufacturing business Mars Materials is working to convert captured carbon into resources, such as carbon fiber and wastewater treatment chemicals. The company develops and produces its drop-in chemical products in Houston and uses an in-licensed process for the National Renewable Energy Lab to produce acrylonitrile, which is used to produce plastics, synthetic fibers and rubbers. The company reports that it plans to open its first commercial plant in the next 18 months.

Founded in 2019 by CEO Aaron Fitzgerald, CTO Kristian Gubsch and lead engineer Trey Sheridan, the company has raised just under $1 million in capital and is backed by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy, Shell, Black & Veatch and other organizations.

Torres Orbital Mining (TOM)

Space tech company Torres Orbital Mining aims to pioneer the sustainable extraction and processing of lunar regolith and designs and builds robotic systems for excavating, classifying, and delivering lunar material. The company aims to accelerate a permanent and ethical human presence on the Moon.

The company was founded this year by Luis Torres, a current MBA candidate at Rice Business.

Wellysis USA Inc.

Wellysis USA Inc. works to detect heart rhythm disorders with its continuous ECG/EKG monitor with AI reporting. Its S-Patch cardiac monitor is designed for extended testing periods of up to 14 days on a single battery charge. The device weighs only 9 grams, is waterproof and designed to be comfortable to wear, and is considered to have a high detection rate for arrhythmias. It is ideally suited for patient-centric clinical trials to help physicians make diagnoses faster, cheaper and more conveniently.

It was established in Houston in 2023 and participated in the JLABS SFF Program the same year. It closed a $12 million series B last year. It was founded by CEO Young Juhn, CTO Rick Kim, CFO JungSoo Kim and chief strategy officer JoongWoo Kim.

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The Houston Innovation Awards program is sponsored by Houston Community College, Houston Powder Coaters, FLIGHT by Yuengling, and more to be announced soon. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact sales@innovationmap.com.

The Ion taps John Reale for startup and investor role

new hire

The Ion has named John "JR" Reale as its director for startups and investor engagement.

In his new role, Reale, a longtime leader in Houston’s startup ecosystem, will work to strengthen the innovation district's founder and investor network.

"Here’s what I’ve come to believe: the Ion is not just a building, not just a real estate play, and not just another innovation district. COVID, remote work, and shifting market dynamics changed the rules. Key ingredients like co-working, events, and community, while impactful, are no longer enough on their own," Reale shared on a LinkedIn post announcing the move. "What’s needed are advantages ... We need to intentionally design a system that repeatedly delivers advantages so founders can pull forward their visions."

Reale previously served as executive in residence and venture partner at TMC Venture Fund and co-founded Station Houston. He also serves as managing director of Integr8d Capital. He's an investor and serves on the board of directors for a number of venture-backed companies, including Cart.com, Lionguard and others.

The Ion will host "Today Is Day One – A conversation with John (JR) Reale" to welcome Reale to the role on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Reale will be joined at the event by Heath Butler, partner at Mercury, to discuss their thoughts on shaping Houston's founders ecosystem, as well as the Ion’s Founder Advantage Platform.

"On top of this connected architecture, we will build product. That product will be the Founder Advantage Platform to remove friction, compress time, and compound outcomes," Reale continued on LinkedIn. "This is the system that will drive repeatable experiences, and naturally, make these journeys so much more fun."

Houston's IAH soars in new ranking of U.S. airports with best dining

Flying High

Here's news that'll make a flight delay at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport a bit more palatable: IAH arrives at No. 12 in a new ranking of the country’s best airports for food and beverage options.

The 2025 study by commercial furniture manufacturer Restaurant Furniture relied on Google reviews of food and beverage establishments at the busiest U.S. airports to come up with its list. The study included only those restaurants and bars with at least 20 Google reviews.

IAH earned an average Google review rating of 3.29 out of 5 stars for its food-and-beverage establishments.

The study analyzed 61 restaurants and bars at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The Houston airport’s highest rated establishment was Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen. That Pappadeux location garnered an average Google review rating of 4.48 out of 5. George Bush International also is home to the study’s highest-rated Chick-fil-A and Whataburger restaurants.

Several years ago, IAH made a major effort to upgrade its dining options by partnering with local chefs such as Chris Shepherd, Ryan Pera (Coltivare), and Greg Gatlin (Gatlin's BBQ) on concepts for Terminal C North. More recently, a change in the city's airport concessions contract brought local favorites such as The Annie Cafe and Common Bond to the George Bush.

“Airports aren’t usually renowned for their choices of bars and restaurants, and this is often because people just want to get through the airport and onto their final destinations as quickly as possible,” Nick Warren, head of e-commerce at Restaurant Furniture, says in a release. “However, a good airport bar or restaurant can provide a great rest stop after a long flight, and these positive experiences can go a long way towards travelers choosing which airport they will fly from in the future.”

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport soared to No. 1 in the rankings. Restaurants and bars at DFW earned an average of 3.56 out of 5 stars on Google — the highest number among 31 airports.

Just like in Houston, among 74 locations at DFW, the study found Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Terminal A scored the highest average Google review rating — 4.59. DFW also boasts the top-rated IHOP, McDonald’s, Panera Bread, and Panda Express among the 31 airports that were analyzed.

Rounding out the top five airports with best food are Miami International Airport (No. 2), San Francisco International Airport (No. 3), Denver International Airport (No. 4), and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (No. 5).

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A version of this story originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

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