Empowering Smarter Care Choices: Healthgrades Names America's Best Hospitals for 2026

Healthgrades recognizes the top 5% of U.S. hospitals for overall clinical care.

DENVER, Jan. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthgrades, the #1 site Americans use to find a doctor or hospital, today announced the recipients of the 2026 America's Best Hospitals Awards. This year's achievements recognize the top one, two, and five percent of hospitals nationwide for overall clinical performance:

• America's 50 Best Hospitals
• America's 100 Best Hospitals
• America's 250 Best Hospitals

According to Healthgrades' annual analysis, if all hospitals performed similarly to America's 250 Best Hospitals, 211,370 lives could have been saved.* As consumers increasingly take a more active role in their care, nearly two-thirds say they're more likely to choose a hospital with a quality award than one without — highlighting the growing importance of access to objective hospital quality data.

Healthgrades' clinically validated methodology focuses solely on what matters most–patient outcomes–empowering consumers to choose doctors who practice at high quality hospitals. To determine the top 250 U.S. hospitals, Healthgrades evaluated clinical performance for approximately 4,500 hospitals across more than 30 common procedures and conditions.

"Patients are taking a more active role in their care than ever before, but real empowerment comes from having choices and access to information they can trust," said Dr. Alana Biggers, MPH, medical advisor at Healthgrades. "This year's America's Best Hospitals list gives patients a clearer picture of where high-quality care is delivered most consistently, helping them understand their options and feel confident in choosing the care that's right for them."

Despite growing awareness about the importance of hospital quality, lack of access to the highest quality care poses a major challenge to informed healthcare decision making for half of the U.S. population. Recent research from Healthgrades revealed that nearly half (46%) of Americans live more than 25 miles from one of America's 250 Best Hospitals, with gaps in access spanning major metropolitan areas and entire states. For example, 14 states lack a hospital that performs in the top 5%, creating a significant challenge for 30 million Americans in their pursuit of exceptional care.

Healthgrades is dedicated to empowering patients everywhere with the resources they need to navigate gaps in performance and access and maximize their chances of a positive outcome through the America's Best Patient Advocacy Center. The complete list of 2026 Healthgrades America's Best Hospitals™ and its detailed methodology are available on Healthgrades, along with a consumer-friendly overview of how Healthgrades rates America's Best Hospitals.

*Statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of MedPAR data for years 2022 through 2024 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. For more information, see the 2026 America's Best Hospital Awards Methodology.

About Healthgrades

Healthgrades is dedicated to empowering meaningful connections between patients, doctors, and hospitals. As the #1 platform for finding a doctor and a leader in healthcare transparency, we help millions of consumers each month find and schedule appointments with their healthcare professional of choice and prepare for their appointments with best-in-class, treatment-focused content.

For over 20 years, our health system, group practice, and life sciences marketing solutions have helped our partners reach and engage consumers on their way to the doctor.

Healthgrades is part of RVO Health, the largest consumer health and wellness audience online across its brand portfolio, including Healthgrades, Healthline, Medical News Today, Greatist, Psych Central and Bezzy, which touch every part of the health and wellness journey. RVO Health helps more than 100 million unique visitors live their strongest and healthiest lives each month.

SOURCE Healthgrades