So which ones are the best when it comes to treating people?
For routine physicals and minor problems, I want a doctor who treats people. For really big problems, I want a borderline-Asperger's nerd who doesn't know there is a person connected to the condition, but knows everything in the world about that condition.
In spite of how it might seem that's a surprisingly complicated question.For a "primary care" care doctor the two essential qualities are a strong,basic knowledge of certain medical specialties (e.g,cardiology,pulmonary diseases,infectious diseases and psychiatry among others) and an ability to listen and "sympathize" (my word) *as well as* the experience to know when a patient needs the services of a specialist.
OTOH,diagnosing and treating the most serious (and uncommon) conditions is best done at a hospital like the ones mentioned in this thread (Massachusetts General,Cleveland Clinic,NY Presbyterian,etc,etc).That's where the research capabilities come into to play.At major medical schools there's a synergy that exists between researchers and clinical practitioners that makes for the very best outcome for their patients.