MedStar Washington Hospital Center, located in Washington, D.C., is the largest and busiest not-for-profit hospital in the nation’s capital. As a major teaching and research hospital, the Hospital Center is a major referral center and is recognized for treating the most complex cases. Founded in 1958, the hospital is a long-standing leader in cardiovascular care, and is home to MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute, which formed a first-of-its kind clinical and research alliance with Cleveland Clinic Heart & Vascular Institute in 2013. U.S. News & World Report has ranked the hospital’s cardiology and heart surgery program as one of the best. The Hospital Center also is a respected top facility in the Washington region in the areas of cancer, diabetes & endocrinology, Ear, Nose & Throat, gastroenterology & GI surgery, geriatrics, gynecology, nephrology, pulmonology and urology. It also operates the Washington region’s first Comprehensive Stroke Center to be certified by the Joint Commission, the highest certification offered by this accrediting body.