Top 10 children’s hospitals in the US

>> all the hospit hospitals on our list.

>> this is a very close list.

>> yes. severe cases of leukemia and one-dose treatments for neuroblastoma and lymphoma.

>> as far as research and studies go, unparalleled, boston.

>> exactly. they published thousands of studies the past two years. you also had to be family friendly . boston children's hospital has a clown care unit from the big apple circus .

>> that's great.

>> not about caring for clowns. clowns will come and interact with the children and make them feel better.

>> in cincinnati, their hospital there.

>> cincinnati children's hospital medical center was number three on the list. they're really interesting. they do a lot of things well. they put an mri in their neona neonatal intensive care unit . they're leading a study of migraine prevention for children and next month will open up pet visitation so that pets and kids can visit, they can see their actual pets from home.

>> neonatal care , children's hospital in milwaukee exceeds in that.

>> exactly. children's hospital there, 90% of babies born under 2.2 pounds, the most severe preemies, 90% go home with their families, an exceptional rate.

>> in aurora, colorado, number five overall but you say their family friendliness far exceeds everyone's.

>> specialty lists for heart care, preemie care and cancer care . they were number one on the family friendliness list.

>> let's say you can't get to one of these five. what should you be looking for in a children's hospital?

>> if you have a child with a very severe condition, for some families that means you have to travel to get to one. you want to enlist the help of your child's personal physician or specialty team and really don't give up. you can often enroll a child who is really ill in a study and those hospitalizations are paid for, for families who really need it.

>> dana, thank you very much. this is "today" on nbc.

>>> special guest with us tomorrow. in studio, joining us for