Rest assured, local medical care is among the best in Southern California.

The U.S News and World Report released its list of the best hospitals in the country on Tuesday, with three hospitals in the local area scoring high among the 140 recognized in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Providence Holy Cross, celebrating its fiftieth year, was rated 22 overall among Southern California medical centers and noted as “high performing” in five specialties including pulmonology, orthopedics, urology, geriatrics and kidney disorders. The Mission Hills hospital, which last week opened a new four-story, 138-bed patient care wing, also scored high in patient safety.

Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital and Providence Tarzana also made the list, with the two hospitals ranking 26 and 39 respectively. Henry Mayo was recognized for three specialties – geriatrics, neurology and neurosurgery, and urology – and Providence Tarzana was acknowledged for its high performance in urology.

Larry Bowe, chief executive of Providence Holy Cross, said in a press release the high ranking of the medical center reflects the level of service that the hospital provides.

“Our quality and our dedication to compassionate care have driven our growth,” Bowe said. “While so many hospitals in Southern California have closed or cut services, we have just completed a major expansion to meet the needs of our patients in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.”

Roger E. Seaver, president and chief executive officer for Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, similarly lauded the report as an affirmation of the quality of the institution.

“We’re very pleased to be ranked as one of the best hospitals by the U.S. News Media & World Report,” Seaver said. “Being recognized as one of the top hospitals in the Los Angeles metro area assures our community that we are committed to providing the highest level of care and that we are fully capable of giving our patients the first-rate care that they deserve.”

The purpose of the Best Hospitals list is to help guide patients who need an especially high level of care because of a difficult surgery, a challenging condition or added risk because of other health problems or age.

“These are referral centers where other hospitals send their sickest patients,” said Avery Comarow, U.S. News health rankings editor. “Hospitals like these are ones you or those close to you should consider when the stakes are high.”

Covering 94 metro areas in the U.S., the regional hospital rankings complement the national rankings by including hospitals with solid performance nearly at the level of nationally ranked institutions. The regional rankings are aimed primarily at consumers whose care may not demand the special expertise found only at a nationally ranked Best Hospital or who may not be willing or able to travel long distances for medical care. The U.S. News metro rankings give many such patients and their families more hospital options within their community and in their health insurance network.

“These are hospitals we call ‘high performers,’” Comarow said. “They are fully capable of giving most patients first-rate care, even if they have serious conditions or need demanding procedures.”

The rankings for individual hospital specialties include death rates, patient safety, procedure volume and other objective data. Responses to a national survey, in which physicians were asked to name hospitals they consider best in their specialty for the toughest cases, also were factored in.

The rankings cover 16 medical specialties and all 94 metro areas that have at least 500,000 residents and at least one hospital that performed well enough to be ranked.