MGH is the third oldest hospital in the US – it was MGH physicians who first demonstrated the use of a general anesthetic, in 1846 – and is consistently ranked among the top five hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The 900-bed medical center admits over 47,000 patients, records 83,000 emergency room visits, and performs 37,000 operations annually. The Hospital’s five multidisciplinary care centers are
renowned worldwide for innovations in the treatment of cancer, digestive disorders, and heart disease, and in transplantation and vascular medicine. MGH is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, and nearly all staff physicians serve on the faculty. With an annual research budget of nearly $550 million, MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States.