Houston hospitals soar on annual list ranking best in Texas

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These Houston hospitals are the best in Texas and beyond. Photo via tmc.edu

Houston Methodist Hospital now shares its status as the state’s best hospital with Dallas’ UT Southwestern Medical Center.

In U.S. News & World Report’s latest ranking of Texas hospitals, Houston Methodist and UT Southwestern share the No. 1 spot. Last year, Houston Methodist was the lone holder of first-place honors in Texas.

The Houston Methodist system comprises a primary care facility within the Texas Medical Center and six community hospitals across the region. In all, Houston Methodist operates more than 2,600 patient beds and employs more than 29,700 people.

Overall, Houston hospitals fared well in this year’s Texas rankings:

  • Houston Methodist, No. 1
  • Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, No. 3
  • Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center, No. 4
  • Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital, No. 6
  • Houston Medical Sugar Land Hospital, No. 9
  • Memorial Hermann Memorial Medical Center, No. 10

Specialty institutions in Houston also garnered accolades.

For instance, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ranked first in the country for cancer care. Since the inception of the U.S. News & World Report survey in 1990, MD Anderson has been among the country’s top two institutions for cancer care.

“At MD Anderson, we remain singularly focused on eliminating cancer,” Dr. Peter WT Pisters, president of MD Anderson, says in a news release. “We are pleased to see this commitment recognized, but there is work still to be done.”

For its part, Houston Methodist nabbed national rankings in 10 specialties, including No. 4 for diabetes and endocrinology and No. 5 for gastroenterology and GI surgery.

Elsewhere in the Houston area:

  • Texas Children’s Hospital nailed down the No. 1 ranking among children’s hospitals in the state.
  • TIRR Memorial Hermann was again ranked as the Best Rehabilitation Hospital in Texas.
  • The Texas Heart Institute at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center claimed the No. 2 ranking among cardiovascular, heart, and vascular surgery facilities in the state.
  • The Menninger Clinic again makes the top 10 psychiatric hospitals. It ranked No. 7 in that specialty.

“A recent survey of U.S. News users revealed more than four in five (84 percent) consider a hospital’s quality metrics to be important factors when deciding where to seek treatment for a serious medical issue,” Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News, says in a news release. “Consumers want useful resources to help them assess which hospital can best meet their specific care needs.”

Harder adds that his publication’s hospital rankings “offer patients and the physicians with whom they consult a data-driven source for comparing performance in outcomes, patient satisfaction, and other metrics that matter to them.”

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We're more so the worst than the best, a study finds. Photo by gguy44/Getty Images

See where Texas falls among best states, according to a recent report

Report card

How does Texas measure up to the rest of the United States? A new study comparing the 50 U.S. states in terms of healthcare, education, the economy, and numerous other factors shows that we aren't the worst state in the country, but we're certainly not the best, either.

Texas ranks 38th overall in U.S. News & World Report's best states rankings for 2019, down two spots from 2018. Washington takes the top spot, while Louisiana has the misfortune of being in last place.

For the study, U.S. News asked Americans "how satisfied they were with various state government services and where they thought their state governments should focus resources." The site took those results and rated each state on the areas above, as well as infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime and corrections, and natural environment. The most weight was given to healthcare, followed by education.

The Lone Star State, which is home to many notable companies (AT&T, Southwest Airlines, Whole Foods, Dell, and others), ranks best in fiscal stability (No. 12) and economy (No. 15).

America's oil boom in the early 1900s transformed Texas, and the state continues to be a key player in the industry, as well as a leading destination for business, the study explains.

"Texas' diverse industrial base has drawn many businesses and workers in recent decades because of light regulation, low taxes and a low cost of labor," U.S. News says. "Entrepreneurs are particularly attracted to Austin, which emerged as a major player in the technology industry in the 1990s. Its 'South by Southwest' is one of the preeminent national tech conferences."

What else is working in Texas? "Traditionally, agriculture has been among the state's largest industries, and it produces the most livestock and livestock product in the country," the study adds. "The state also is a leader in export revenues, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Other industries driving growth include business, education and health, hospitality and manufacturing."

Texas, however, could stand to improve in many areas: infrastructure (33), crime and corrections (33), education (34), healthcare (37), opportunity (39), and natural environment (40).

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This article originally ran on CultureMap.

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Rice University's edtech company receives $90M to lead NSF research hub

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An educational technology company based out of Rice University has received $90 million to create and lead a research and development hub for inclusive learning and education research. It's the largest research award in the history of the university.

OpenStax received the grant funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation for a five-year project create the R&D hub called SafeInsights, which "will enable extensive, long-term research on the predictors of effective learning while protecting student privacy," reads a news release from Rice. It's the NSF's largest single investment commitment to national sale education R&D infrastructure.

“We are thrilled to announce an investment of $90 million in SafeInsights, marking a significant step forward in our commitment to advancing scientific research in STEM education,” NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan says in the release. “There is an urgent need for research-informed strategies capable of transforming educational systems, empowering our nation’s workforce and propelling discoveries in the science of learning.

"By investing in cutting-edge infrastructure and fostering collaboration among researchers and educators, we are paving the way for transformative discoveries and equitable opportunities for learners across the nation.”

SafeInsights is funded through NSF’s Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-2 (Mid-scale RI-2) program and will act as a central hub for 80 partners and collaborating institutions.

“SafeInsights represents a pivotal moment for Rice University and a testament to our nation’s commitment to educational research,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches adds. “It will accelerate student learning through studies that result in more innovative, evidence-based tools and practices.”

Richard Baraniuk, who founded OpenStax and is a Rice professor, will lead SafeInsights. He says he hopes the initiative will allow progress to be made for students learning in various contexts.

“Learning is complex," Baraniuk says in the release. "Research can tackle this complexity and help get the right tools into the hands of educators and students, but to do so, we need reliable information on how students learn. Just as progress in health care research sparked stunning advances in personalized medicine, we need similar precision in education to support all students, particularly those from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds.”

OpenStax awarded $90M to lead NSF research hub for transformational learning and education researchwww.youtube.com

2 Houston startups selected by US military for geothermal projects

hot new recruits

Two clean energy companies in Houston have been recruited for geothermal projects at U.S. military installations.

Fervo Energy is exploring the potential for a geothermal energy system at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada.

Meanwhile, Sage Geosystems is working on an exploratory geothermal project for the Army’s Fort Bliss post in Texas. The Bliss project is the third U.S. Department of Defense geothermal initiative in the Lone Star State.

“Energy resilience for the U.S. military is essential in an increasingly digital and electric world, and we are pleased to help the U.S. Army and [the Defense Innovation Unit] to support energy resilience at Fort Bliss,” Cindy Taff, CEO of Sage, says in a news release.

A spokeswoman for Fervo declined to comment.

Andy Sabin, director of the Navy’s Geothermal Program Office, says in a military news release that previous geothermal exploration efforts indicate the Fallon facility “is ideally suited for enhanced geothermal systems to be deployed onsite.”

As for the Fort Bliss project, Michael Jones, a project director in the Army Office of Energy Initiatives, says it’ll combine geothermal technology with innovations from the oil and gas sector.

“This initiative adds to the momentum of Texas as a leader in the ‘geothermal anywhere’ revolution, leveraging the robust oil and gas industry profile in the state,” says Ken Wisian, associate director of the Environmental Division at the U.S. Bureau of Economic Geology.

The Department of Defense kicked off its geothermal initiative in September 2023. Specifically, the Army, Navy, and Defense Innovation Unit launched four exploratory geothermal projects at three U.S. military installations.

One of the three installations is the Air Force’s Joint Base San Antonio. Canada-based geothermal company Eavor is leading the San Antonio project.

Another geothermal company, Atlanta-based Teverra, was tapped for an exploratory geothermal project at the Army’s Fort Wainwright in Alaska. Teverra maintains an office in Houston.

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This article originally ran on EnergyCapital.

Houston investor calls for all angels to move the ecosystem forward

houston innovators podcast episode 233

One of the biggest components of a well-functioning startup ecosystem is inarguably access to capital, and Mitra Miller is dedicated to enhancing education around investment and growing Houston's investor base.

As vice president and board member of the Houston Angel Network, the oldest angel network in Texas and one of the most active angel networks in the country, Miller strives to provide guidance to new and emerging angel investors as well as founders seeking to raise money from them.

"Most founders have no idea or understanding of how investors think — we are not an ATM," Miller says on the Houston Innovators Podcast. "We are really partners you are getting married to for the next 5, 8, 10 years — sometimes longer. We need to bring your allies in every sense of the word."



HAN, a nonprofit, provides a unique opportunity for its members, as Miller explains. The group consists of around 100 individuals from all business backgrounds, so evaluating companies together brings more than just a wealth of capital — but also a wealth of knowledge.

"What HAN provides is access to investments," Miller says, adding that members have the benefit in evaluating companies together with people from different backgrounds. "Inside a group like HAN, we have extraordinary expertise."

In addition to educating both founders and investors in the process, Miller has dedicated herself to providing opportunities for students in low-income parts of Houston to learn about the startup world. Eight years ago, she founded Eagle Investors, an organization that provides a year-long program that culminates in a group of students participating as judges for the Rice Business Plan Competition.

"They spend a year learning about innovation, entrepreneurship, and investing by meeting local investors, entrepreneurs, and service providers. They go around Houston to get to visit and ... experience all of the ecosystem," Miller says.

At RBPC, the cohort of high school students evaluate the pitches and select a company to provide a $5,000 prize.

Miller herself has been a judge at RBPC for 20 years now, and she's had a front row seat for watching Houston develop as an ecosystem. She's seen the city make real progress, but has one major call to action.

"The piece that I am most aware of that I would like to see grow is activating more accredited investors who are interested in this asset class of early-stage companies and plugging in," Miller says. "They can also invest their time and knowledge to help companies in our region grow and scale."

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