Mercy Home Health Named Among Nation's Best in U.S. News & World Report Rankings

Three Mercy locations among top performers in first-ever rankings

ST. LOUIS, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Three Mercy Home Health locations have been named a Best Home Health Agency for 2026 by U.S. News & World Report. This recognition comes as part of U.S. News' first-ever evaluation of home health providers, identifying the top-performing agencies in the United States.

Two Mercy Home Health locations in St. Louis (Des Peres and Landmark Parkway, now aligned under Mercy Home Health East) and Mercy Home Health in Fort Smith, Arkansas (now aligned under Mercy Home Health Arkansas) earned the "High Performing" designation – the highest level of recognition – for exceeding expectations in care quality and patient experience based on U.S. News' methodology. In the first edition of Best Home Health, U.S. News evaluated more than 12,000 agencies. Just 17% were awarded the Best Home Health designation.

With more than 3 million patients turning to home health agencies each year, this debut analysis offers a much-needed, independent view of quality. By prioritizing patient outcomes and consumer experience for a predominantly senior population, these ratings provide clarity for families who, in consultation with their physicians, are making crucial care decisions for loved ones.

The Best Home Health methodology developed by U.S. News leverages two datasets from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Data on care quality measures, including timely initiation of care and outcomes such as potentially preventable hospitalizations, were combined with patient experience surveys to produce the ratings. The ratings and underlying data for each agency, published on USNews.com, provide consumers with the trusted data and clarity they need to confidently choose, in consultation with their health care providers, the right care for a family member or themselves.

"Earning the Best Home Health distinction is a significant achievement, as it is reserved only for those agencies that satisfy U.S. News' standards of care quality and patient experience," said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News.

For more information on the inaugural Best Home Health ratings, visit U.S. News Health.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.

About Mercy
Mercy, one of the 15 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation's largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including 55 acute care and specialty (heart, children's, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 5,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 50,000 caregivers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2025 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid. 

SOURCE Mercy