Sadly, the way the hospital system works most people rarely (if ever) get a choice regarding which hospital they're treated in. It's either an emergency and you end up where ever the ambulance takes you, or if it's a planned situation your choices are usually dictated by your insurance company. But all of that aside, amidst all the health care debates and red tape, some hospitals are rising to the top and managing to give superior care to the people lucky enough to get a bed in one of their rooms.

Leapfrog Group, a health care business group, recently conducted a survey to find the nations top hospitals. They came up with a list of 33 hospitals and 8 children's hospitals all across the country. The best are mostly located in big cities (which is a little frustrating for somebody like me in small town Iowa) and although you can see the complete list here the top three hospitals are:

• Alta Bates Summit Medical Center-Summit Campus, Oakland CA
• Baystate Medical Center, Springfield MA
• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston MA

If you or a loved one have ever been treated here count yourself lucky! Unless you had a bad experience?