Best Cardiac Hospitals in Colombia (2026): Accreditation, Transplant Programs and Altitude

How we chose these hospitals

We started with Joint Commission International accreditation, the most widely recognized international hospital standard. Colombia had nine JCI-accredited hospitals as of April 2025, according to press reports¹. We then kept those with documented cardiac programs; the services we could verify are listed under each hospital.

Two caveats. First, we could not open JCI's own directory during our research, so each status below comes from the hospital's own pages or press coverage dated 2019 to 2025, checked in October 2026. JCI's directory is the final word, and you should check it. Second, Newsweek's World's Best Hospitals list appears below as one signal among several. It uses its own methodology and is not a clinical outcomes ranking.

The six at a glance

Newsweek ranks from its 2026 Colombia list². Approximate elevations from Wikipedia^3,4,5,6.

Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali

Valle del Lili received JCI accreditation in December 2024 after a survey that November⁷. Its cardiology department covers heart transplantation for advanced heart failure, TAVI and catheter closure of congenital defects, electrophysiology including ablation, pacemakers, ICDs and resynchronization devices, interventional cardiology, and pediatric and congenital heart disease⁸. It has performed heart transplants since 1996, 250 of them as of 2023⁹.

Newsweek ranked it first in Colombia in both 2025 and 2026^10,2, and Brand Finance placed it 45th among academic medical centers worldwide in 2026¹¹. It runs a dedicated international patient office¹². Cali sits at about 1,018 m.

Hospital Internacional de Colombia, near Bucaramanga

Operated by the Fundación Cardiovascular de Colombia, HIC has two campuses: a main medical center in Piedecuesta and a Cardiovascular Institute in Floridablanca, both in the Bucaramanga metro area^13,14. It was first JCI accredited in 2009 and received its sixth consecutive accreditation in April 2025¹⁵.

Its cardiac credentials are extensive. It joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network in June 2025, the first hospital in Colombia and South America to do so¹³. It performed 30 heart transplants in 2023, more than any other Colombian institution, and 260 since 2004¹⁶. In late 2025 JCI certified its pediatric heart transplant program, which has done 68 pediatric heart transplants since 2006¹⁷. It was the only Colombian hospital on Newsweek's 2027 cardiology specialty list, at 295th of 300¹⁸.

The trade-off is access. Bucaramanga has no nonstop flights from the US or Canada; you connect through Bogotá or Panama City¹⁹. At about 925 to 1,005 m, altitude is unlikely to be a factor.

LaCardio (Fundación Cardioinfantil), Bogotá

LaCardio was first JCI accredited in 2013, according to its 2024 report (its international page says 2014), and re-accredited in 2020 and 2024^20,21. In March 2025 it received Colombia's national accreditation with excellence, a distinction held by only seven institutions at the time²². Its international center lists heart transplantation, adult and pediatric electrophysiology, pediatric cardiac surgery, cardiovascular surgery and adult congenital heart disease, and its 2024 report describes suite rooms set aside for international patients^21,20. Newsweek ranked it fourth in Colombia in 2026².

Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá

Santa Fe de Bogotá became the first Colombian organization accredited by JCI as an academic medical center, in 2010, and was re-accredited in 2013, 2016 and 2019²³. Its JCI clinical care program certifications include acute myocardial infarction care²³. Newsweek ranked it second in Colombia in 2026². We could not verify its heart transplant, TAVR or electrophysiology volumes, so ask directly.

Both Bogotá hospitals sit at about 2,640 m. For some patients, that is a question worth raising with a cardiologist first. See our altitude guide.

Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe, Medellín

Pablo Tobón Uribe has held JCI accreditation since 2015, with its most recent survey in September 2024²⁴. It offers cardiology and cardiovascular surgery and runs an international patient office²⁵. Newsweek ranked it third in Colombia in 2026².

It is the JCI-accredited option in Medellín, which matters if you want the city's lower altitude and direct flights. It was not among Antioquia's authorized heart transplant programs as of 2023²⁶, and its international office highlights other specialties, so ask directly about the cardiac surgery team's annual volume for your procedure.

Clínica Imbanaco, Cali

Imbanaco, part of Spain's Quirónsalud group, was first JCI accredited in 2018 and renewed in 2021²⁷; its current accreditation cycle runs 2023 to 2026²⁸, so confirm the renewal. It launched a heart transplant program in 2020 and performed its first pediatric heart transplant, on a two-year-old, in 2021²⁹. Newsweek ranked it sixth in Colombia in 2026².

Well-known heart centers without JCI accreditation

Several of Colombia's most established cardiac centers do not appear on the JCI list, as far as we could find. National accreditation and long track records count for something, but international patients should know which standard applies.

Clínica Cardio VID, Medellín. Colombia's first heart transplant was performed here on December 1, 1985, when it was Clínica Cardiovascular Santa María, and it reports 677 heart transplants since³⁰. As of 2023 it was one of only two authorized heart transplant programs in Antioquia²⁶. We found no evidence of JCI accreditation.

Hospital San Vicente Fundación, Medellín and Rionegro. San Vicente reported 46 TAVI procedures across its two hospitals in 2025³¹, and its Rionegro hospital reported an STS risk-adjusted cardiac surgery mortality of 1.0%³². Its Medellín hospital holds national ICONTEC accreditation through 2026³¹ and ranked eighth (Medellín) and 11th (Rionegro) on Newsweek's 2026 Colombia list². We found no evidence of JCI accreditation.

Fundación Clínica Shaio, Bogotá. Founded in 1957 and described as Colombia's first cardiovascular center³³, Shaio received national accreditation in 2013³⁴ and ranked fifth on Newsweek's 2026 Colombia list². We found no evidence of JCI accreditation.

How to verify a hospital and a doctor yourself

1. JCI's directory. Search Joint Commission International's list of accredited organizations for the hospital's name and check the dates.
2. Colombian licensing. Every provider must meet mandatory minimum standards (habilitación) and be registered in the Ministry of Health's REPS registry, which is public^35,36. National accreditation, run with ICONTEC, is a higher tier: 59 institutions held it as of December 2023³⁷.
3. The doctor. Search ReTHUS by full name or ID number to see authorization to practice and any sanctions^38,39. Check the Sociedad Colombiana de Cardiología y Cirugía Cardiovascular's member directory⁴⁰.
4. The numbers. Ask how many of your procedure the team performed last year, and what its complication and mortality data look like. A team that publishes outcomes, as San Vicente's Rionegro hospital does, is easier to assess.

Quick answers

This article summarizes published guidance and prices for general information. It is not medical advice and has not been reviewed by your doctors. Your cardiologist decides what procedure you need and whether you are fit to travel. Prices are ranges, not quotes. Chest pain or new symptoms: call 911 (US, Canada) or 123 (Colombia).