UAB Hospital is now the fifth largest hospital in the nation, up three spots from 2025, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. UAB Hospital has 1,400 hospital beds.
“Earning a place among the nation’s largest five hospitals is a proud moment for UAB Hospital,” said UAB President Ray Watts. “It reflects the unwavering support of the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees and the outstanding leadership of UAB Health System CEO Dawn Bulgarella, as well as the caliber of our faculty and staff across UAB Medicine.”
In 2025, UAB Hospital cared for a record 929,021 unique patients.
“UAB Hospital is the only hospital in Alabama designated as a Level 1 Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons, which reflects the extraordinary level of care patients receive here,” Bulgarella said.
Best in state
UAB Hospital was also named in Newsweek’s list of the World’s Best Hospitals 2026, claiming the top spot in Alabama, and Newsweek’s World’s Best Specialized Hospitals for 2026 with Cardiology ranked No. 105 globally and No. 142 in Cardiac Surgery, underscoring the hospital’s continued excellence in cardiovascular care and surgical innovation.
UAB Medicine has once again been named one of the nation’s leaders in the use of information technology in health care by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives. Both UAB Hospital and UAB Medicine’s acute and ambulatory clinics were cited for achieving Level 8 status in CHIME’s 2025 Digital Health Most Wired survey.
New facilities
With cutting-edge therapy gyms and 134 patient beds, UAB’s new $156.7 million inpatient rehabilitation pavilion is transforming recovery for Alabamians.
UAB Medicine is undertaking a $73 million expansion of the Emergency Department — supported by $50 million from the State of Alabama — that will add 59 new exam rooms.
Unique to UAB
In addition to being an Adult Level 1 Trauma Center, UAB has a Comprehensive Transplant Institute that is home to the state’s leading organ transplant program. Cutting-edge cancer treatment is provided through Alabama’s only National Cancer Institute-designated O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The hospital is also home to a Level 4 Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.