Recognizing Outstanding Care: Healthgrades Names 2026's Top Hospitals for Specialty Care

Healthgrades is proud to celebrate achievements in hospital quality

DENVER, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthgrades, the #1 site Americans use when searching for a doctor or hospital, today announced the recipients of three hospital quality achievements celebrating excellence in specialty care:

• 2026 Specialty Excellence Awards, which celebrate hospitals with outstanding clinical performance in 16 specialty care areas
• 2026 Outpatient Awards, recognizing outstanding achievements in outpatient care across orthopedic surgery, joint replacement, and prostate care
• 2026 Specialty State Rankings, which measure hospital performance across 18 key specialty areas to identify the highest-ranking hospitals in 31 eligible states

Healthgrades helps consumers identify high quality hospitals by rating those that consistently deliver better-than-expected outcomes in specialty care. These ratings enable informed decisions that can help patients have better care experiences and outcomes. With the growing disparity between top performers and one-star hospitals, considering hospital quality is a vital part of selecting where to turn for care. In fact, from 2022 to 2024, if all hospitals had performed at the five-star level:

• 230,466 lives could potentially have been saved*
• 183,475 complications could potentially have been avoided*

"Our specialty awards identify the nation's top-performing hospitals across numerous medical specialties, helping consumers find high quality care tailored to their specific needs," said Alana Biggers, MD MPH, medical advisor at Healthgrades. "Navigating the complex healthcare system can feel daunting, but taking a proactive stance to understand where to access superior care can enhance your healthcare journey and overall experience. The ability to make informed decisions about your health is a cornerstone of self-advocacy, and we are proud to help make that information accessible to all patients."

2026 Specialty Excellence Awards & America's 50 and 100 Best Hospitals for Specialty Care

This year's Specialty Excellence Awards recognize hospitals for outstanding clinical performance in 16 specialty care areas.** Recipients are among the top 10 percent of hospitals specializing in these areas. Healthgrades evaluated outcomes at approximately 4,500 hospitals across 31 common procedures and conditions for these awards.

From the list of Specialty Excellence Award recipients, Healthgrades recognizes America's 100 Best Hospitals for Specialty Care for 11 specialty areas and America's 50 Best Hospitals for Specialty Care for three specialty areas.

2026 Outpatient Awards

Unique among our specialty care awards, the Outpatient Orthopedic Surgery, Outpatient Joint Replacement and Outpatient Prostate Care Excellence Awards recognize the national leaders in outpatient care, one of the fastest-growing areas of healthcare. In recent years, the number of orthopedic procedures performed in an outpatient environment has grown exponentially.

2026 Specialty State Rankings

State Rankings  identify the top three or five hospitals in each eligible state across 18 key specialties. By offering specialty care rankings at the state level, Healthgrades helps consumers find local hospitals that excel in their condition or procedure, taking the guesswork out of finding high quality care close to home.

See the methodologies for each of the specialty awards:

• 2026 Specialty Excellence Award s  Methodology
• 2026 Outpatient Awards Methodology 
• 2026 Specialty State Rankings Methodology 

To provide additional insights and education around these important topics, Healthgrades has launched the following resources:

• Consumers can visit Healthgrades' Specialty Excellence Patient Advocate Center to access the information they need to make informed decisions about their care. This resource hub includes a patient-friendly infographic overview of how Healthgrades picks award recipients, a list of the nation's top hospitals for specialty care, and more.
• Health systems audiences can read up on the industry's latest challenges in the "2026 Specialty Excellence Report."
• Hospitals interested in promoting their achievements can learn more here.

*Statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of MedPAR data for 2022 through 2024 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only.

**To be eligible for a Specialty Excellence Award, hospitals must receive a rating in the required procedures and conditions included in the determination of the award. Some awards, like the Cranial Neurosurgery Excellence Award™, are based on a single procedure–cranial neurosurgery–while others, such as the Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award™, are based on a grouping of procedures: heart bypass surgery and heart valve surgery. To learn more about Healthgrades ratings and awards determination process, see the 2026 Specialty Excellence Awards and Ratings 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, LLC. RVO Health has 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.

Media Contact: Audrey Becker, [email protected]

SOURCE Healthgrades